Wolf's Dawn
by andrewjameswilliams
Summary: When Xander Harris is bitten by a werewolf his destiny, and the fate of the Scoobies, is changed forever. *Discontinued rewrite in progress*
1. Chapter 1

**Wolf's Dawn**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly both Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf remain the property of their respective creators. I am merely borrowing there characters and make absolutely no profit whatsoever from their use so please keep the legal attack dogs, also known as lawyers, firmly muzzled and on a strong leash.**

 **Authors Notes: I had this idea after watching a marathon of Teen Wolf episodes on my pc the other day. Add in recently rereading calikocat's Alpha Harris stories on Twisting the Hellmouth triggered this particular plot bunny attack and this fic was born. Story events begin just after the Buffy season one episode Teacher's Pet and will carry on through the rest of season one.**

 **Also before anyone asks Scott McCall and Stiles Stillinski are still small children at this point in time and will not be appearing in this particular fic.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Alexander – Xander to his friends – Harris sighed softly as he slipped out of The Bronze after giving Buffy and Willow the slip. He really wasn't in the mood to hang around with them in the lights and loud music of the Bronze tonight, well for the short time that Buffy would be there anyway as she'd soon leave to do another patrol through the towns numerous cemeteries ready to dust any vampires she came across, in fact he wasn't really in the mood to do much of anything other than mope.

The reason why was simple. He was still mentally reeling from that whole thing that had gone down with Miss French, how she'd seduced him, how she'd planned to mate with him and then – being really a Praying Mantis demon thing instead of the beautiful woman who oozed sex appeal that she'd appeared to be – eat him starting with his head. It wasn't something that you just got over, though he'd let Buffy and Willow think he was over it as the Slayer and his lifelong best female friend/sister in every way but blood would only worry and try and coddle him for weeks if he didn't.

Leaving the Bronze behind he began making his way down the streets of Sunnydale towards home knowing that his folks would already be passed out drunk by now – especially as Tony had gotten paid yesterday and typically only spent the minimum on things like food and providing clothing for his son keeping the majority, that hadn't already been consumed by the mortgage, to spend on fresh stocks of booze – they'd already been very tipsy when he'd left to join Buffy and co on patrol and that had been at least two hours ago.

Keeping his guard up for vampires, you never knew where the bloody things were hiding especially at night, and feeling for the reassuring weight of the stake in his pocket he turned down a side street. From experience he knew a trip down this side street, and then the forth alley that intersected it, would take him over to the side of town where he and Willow lived. It was a shortcut they both knew well and one they'd used for years when leaving or going to the Bronze as it cut the better part of an hour off the walk home.

He was just walking past the first alleyway – which led to the loading dock behind the Bronze – when a strange sound caught his attention. _What the hell?_ He thought pausing and looking round for the source of the noise, a noise that sounded almost like a growl but one that was completely different to the growl vampires sometimes made.

That was when he saw it.

From the deepest, darkest part of the alley two glowing red eyes were watching him in a very considering fashion. He could faintly see movement against the shadows that revealed the outline of the fur-covered body that the eyes belonged to. For a moment out of time he froze, mentally cursing himself for leaving the safety of the nightclub, then he took a cautious step back…

…and the thing moved.

In a blur of shape and shadow the red eyed creature leapt forward and pounced on him knocking him to floor and making stars explode before his eyes as his head hit the ground hard. A second later sharp, burning pain blossomed in his right shoulder. It blasted through his skull obliterating every coherent thought in his head. He barely noticed when the weight of the thing pinning him down vanished as it bounded away into the night – Xander's scream of pain following it.

"Ah shit," Xander groaned as he lay there on the floor before looking at his right shoulder, to see blood welling up from a deep, deep gash ripped in his flesh. After a moment, feeling the disorientation from hitting the ground so hard fade somewhat, and being careful not to jar his shoulder he staggered back to his feet.

Deciding he had better head back to the Bronze where he could get some help, he turned and began walking, well more staggering, back towards the nightclub. He had barely gotten two steps when two familiar figures appeared around the corner. "Buffy, Willow over here," he called pain from his shoulder lacing his voice.

It was obvious that they heard him because both his female friends came racing up, Buffy naturally moving faster than Willow. "Xander why'd you slip out on us," Buffy asked then caught site of the wound on his shoulder and immediately turned serious. "What happened?" she demanded with full Slayer authority as Willow arrived and, seeing the wound, immediately started fussing over it.

"I'm not sure it's all a blur," Xander answered, "I had a headache so I thought I'd head home. I was just walking along when this thing came out of the alley that runs behind the Bronze. Next thing I know for sure I'm flat on my back seeing stars, it bit me on the shoulder then ran off."

"Did you see which direction it went," Buffy asked already intent of running down the thing that had attacked her friend and explaining to it the depth of that mistake. Xander shook his head. "Never mind I'll find it later and explain just how big of a mistake it's made. In the meantime that looks deep… we should get you to Giles so he can have a look at it."

"He won't be at the High School now," Willow pointed out as she fished a hanky out of a pocket and carefully applied it to the wound on her remaining best male friends shoulder mouthing 'I'm sorry' when Xander hissed in pain at the contact.

"That's not a problem I know where he lives," Buffy replied as she moved up besides the still staggering Xander and put his uninjured arm across her shoulders. She immediately felt him put his weight on her and for one of the few times since she'd been called she was glad she was the Slayer as Xander was surprisingly heavy. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Giles Apartment**

 **Twenty Minutes Later**

Rupert Giles took a sip of his freshly brewed tea and sighed in pleasure. Putting the mug down he picked up the battered copy of Lord of the Rings that he'd been reading before heading to the small kitchenette to make the tea. He was just starting to read about Bilbo's birthday party when his front doorbell went off.

"Now who could that be," he muttered aloud as he put the book down on the coffee table and got up to see who was visiting him at this time of night. He paused just long enough to pick up a small battle axe from its hiding place and cautiously approached the door. With Sunnydale being the site of a Hellmouth – a revelation that had really set the cat among the pigeons with the Watcher's Council once he'd informed them of it – one could never be too careful when answering the door. Especially at night when there were vampires and all manner of demons wandering about the town, preying on the human population.

Peering through the spy hole he allowed himself to relax when he realised that it was just his Slayer. Though why she'd come to his apartment so late in the evening he had absolutely no idea, surely if she'd seen something she would tell him about it before class in the morning. _Only one way to find out what she wants,_ he thought as he unlocked and opened the door. The greeting he'd been about to give dying on his lips when he saw Buffy holding up a bloody, barely conscious Xander with a frightened looking Willow hovering in the background.

"Good Lord what happened," he asked in a mixture of alarm and concern even as he stepped aside to allow them entry.

"Xander was attacked," Buffy explained as she guided Xander over to the couch and set him down as gently as possible. But not gently enough to not draw a yelp of pain as his wounded shoulder was jarred.

"By what a vampire," Giles asked as he hurried over, "Willow go into the bathroom, it's down the hallway, second door on right, and get my first aid kit from the cupboard." Willow nodded and hurried to comply with the Watcher's orders.

"I'm not sure but it wasn't a vamp. We weren't with him at the time, we found him like that in a side street next to the Bronze," Buffy explained as Giles gently eased off Xander's bloodstained shirt and started examining the wound. Buffy winced at the sight of it. It was an ugly wound with numerous puncture marks – that could only be teeth marks – on both sides of the shoulder though it had thankfully ceased bleeding. Despite being The Slayer the sight of human blood flowing still kind of made her want to throw up.

"He mentioned something coming out of the alley that runs behind the Bronze," she continued, "whatever it was knocked him down hard enough to knock him near senseless before biting him on the shoulder then disappearing into the night. It must have been a demon of some sort. Xander couldn't tell which direction it went otherwise I would have already run it down and slayed it."

"I see. Buffy can you nip into the kitchen and get a bowl of warm water for me. I need to clean this wound," Giles instructed. Buffy nodded and hurried to comply.

Giles for his part carefully examined the wound on the young man's shoulder. It was a deep wound that had penetrated all the way through to the muscle in multiple places and it was definitely a bite. A bite whose size and shape seemed vaguely familiar from somewhere though he couldn't for the life of him remember where he'd seen a wound like this before.

"Xander this is important can you tell me anything about the thing that bit you," he asked looking into brown eyes of the teenager, eyes that were semi-glazed from a combination of pain, shock and blood loss.

"Eyes," Xander slurred back, "they….they weren't normal Giles."

"Can you tell me what was different about them," he asked gently.

"Red they were red," Xander answered struggling to speak as he just wanted to close his eyes and go to sleep. "And they…they… glowed and there was fur when it moved in the dark."

"Did you see anything else," Giles asked a marked suspicion beginning to grow in the back of his mind. If he was right then what had bitten Xander was indeed a supernatural creature like Buffy had surmised but it wasn't a demon as she'd naturally, and quiet understandably given what this place was, assumed it to be. No it was something very, very different and he hadn't known that its kind frequented Sunnydale. He would have to do a little bit of research, and watch Xander closely over the next twenty-four hours to see if the wound healed, but if he was right then the young man's life was about to change. And change massively.

"Do you know what it is, Giles," Buffy asked as she returned with a flannel and a bowl of warm water, Willow a few paces behind her with the first aid kit.

"I have a suspicion yes though I wasn't aware that there kind frequented Sunnydale," Giles replied as he accepted the bowl of water and wet the flannel. "I'm sorry, Xander but this is going to sting." When the groggy teen nodded in understanding he gently started washing out the wound drawing a moan of pain from Xander.

"So what do you think it is, Giles," Willow asked worried for her lifelong friend, she winced as Xander again moaned with pain as Giles dapped his wounds with warm water.

"If I'm right, and we'll know within twenty-four hours if I am, then the creature that bit Xander was a werewolf."

"Werewolf!" Xander exclaimed the word piercing the haze around his mind and bringing him fully awake again – at least for now. He stared at Giles in horror.

"How could it be a werewolf, Giles," Buffy asked, "the full moon isn't for another week, shouldn't it have been human right now?"

"I'm not sure, Buffy as my knowledge of werewolves, and the different types and species of werewolf, is somewhat limited," Giles admitted, "hence why I will have to consult my books."

"When you said twenty-four hours what did you mean? What's going to happen to Xander? If it was a werewolf does that mean he'll become one too?" Willow babbled.

"What I meant if it was a werewolf then the wound on Xander's shoulder will heal completely within twenty-four hours," Giles replied, "and we better hope it does because one thing I know for certain if it doesn't then…"

"Then what," Xander asked.

"Then you'll die," Giles answered grimly drawing gasps of horror from all three teens. "But if it heals then…"

"I'll become a werewolf," Xander asked though it was clear from his tone that he already knew the answer.

Giles looked sympathetically at the young man. "Yes," he confirmed even as he finished cleaning the wound. "Willow pass me the first aid kit, please."

"If… if I do become a… a werewolf what will happen to me," Xander asked stumbling over some of the words. Much as a part of him didn't want to know what was going to happen to him, if he was indeed going to become a werewolf, the rest of him knew he needed to know. "Will I become a monster?"

"As I said I don't know a huge amount about werewolves, especially the species that has bitten you, Xander," Giles replied as he accepted the first aid kit off Willow. He was not at all unhappy about having to repeat that he was quite ignorant of the finer points of werewolves. Given what was certainly going to happen to the young man it was understandable that he would want to know as much as possible; plus he obviously needed reassurance. "I will of course check the appropriate books for more information as soon as we are done here. But one thing I can tell you for certain, Xander is you won't become a monster. Not unless you want to be one."

"And I'm not going to slay you, Xander," Buffy added "even if you do transform into a man wolf thing on the full moon all we'll need to do is contain you on those nights. We'll help you through this, won't we Willow."

Willow nodded in agreement bringing a slight smile to Xander's face. "Thanks," he answered softly a slight weight sliding off his shoulders. He was glad to know that whatever else happened to him, even if he started turning into a wolf every full moon, that his friends would be there to help him through it and would ensure that he didn't hurt anyone.

For a few moments silence reigned as Giles carefully placed a sterile dressing on the wound before carefully bandaging it as much as possible. "There," he said as he used a bit of adhesive tape to hold the bandage closed. "I believe it would be best if you stay in my spare room here tonight, Xander," he said to the dark haired teen. "That way I can check the wound in the morning before we head over to the school."

Xander considered for a moment before nodding. "I think that would be a good idea," he agreed after a moment as he wouldn't want to explain the wound on his shoulder to his parents when they woke from their drunken stupor.

"We should call your parents then, tell them," Buffy said. "You can say you're staying with me or Willow for the night so they don't worry."

"They won't answer now," Xander replied, "they'll be sprawled out drunk on the couch by now. They were already extremely tipsy when I left to come on patrol with you."

"Do they do that a lot," Giles asked frowning, "drink I mean."

"More than I'd like," Xander admitted.

"I see," Giles replied making a mental note to speak to Xander more about it later, but first he needed to do a little bit of research into the whole werewolf thing. "If you'll wait here, Xander I'll go set up the bed in the spare room for you. As for you two," he looked pointedly at the two girls, "you should head home."

"Giles…" Buffy started to object.

"There is nothing more you can do here tonight, Buffy," Giles told his Slayer. "Go home and get some sleep as you do have school tomorrow." Buffy made a face at him but ultimately nodded in agreement.

"He's right, Willow," she said looking at her redheaded friend.

Willow looked like she was about to object but one look at the faces of both the Slayer and the Watcher convinced her that any argument she could make about staying here would be futile. Accepting the inevitable she, as gently as possible, hugged Xander before stepping back and nodding at Buffy, who then gave Xander a hug of her own before heading for the front door. Willow followed and in moments they were gone, back out into the street.

"Wait here," Giles said gently to Xander as he stood up.

"Is there anything here that I can read about… about you know."

"I do have a few books on werewolves yes," Giles replied before going over to a bookcase and after a moment of searching took one out. "This should tell you the basics about werewolves and the different types and species as well as their abilities. I will need it back to review myself afterwards."

"Thanks," Xander replied accepting the book with his uninjured arm before opening the book to the first page. Giles watched him for a few moments as he began reading the book with an understandable seriousness, before smiling and heading for the airing cupboard to get out some bedding for Xander to sleep upon tonight.

* * *

 **Outside Giles Apartment**

"Do you really think that Xander is going to become a werewolf Buffy?"

"I believe so," Buffy replied to Willow's question as they walked slowly away from the condominium that housed her Watcher's apartment. "And I meant what I said in there I'm not going to slay him. If I have to knock him out and chain him up on the full moon I will but I'm not going to go all Slayer on his ass. I can't say the same for the werewolf that bit him though. Whoever he or she is they're going to regret ever doing something that's put them on my radar."

Willow smirked at the predatory look that appeared on Buffy's face as she said that. She didn't doubt that Buffy was going to hunt down the werewolf responsible for biting and, almost certainly, infecting Xander with lycanthropy. Hunt down and explain to him/her the depth of the mistake that they had just made, right before she tore them limb from limb. She wished she could help but was well aware that she would be at a severe disadvantage in such a confrontation.

"What are we going to do about, Xander?" she asked.

"The only thing we can do," Buffy answered. "We help him adjust to any, and all, changes he goes through as a result of being bitten. And we make sure, for his own peace of mind, that when the full moon comes he doesn't hurt – or infect – anyone else. We'll also search for a cure, if there is one we'll find it."

Willow nodded in agreement. She was already planning to go on her computer as soon as she got home and start researching werewolves and try to separate the reality from the fantasy. After all the more fact's they knew about real life werewolves the easier it would be for them to help Xander adjust to the reality of being one. As Buffy had said it was really the only thing that either of them could do for him.

* * *

Standing on a rooftop Marcus watched the two girls leave the apartment and walk away. He'd carefully followed them here ever since he'd bitten Xander, which was apparently the young man's name. He couldn't help but curse himself for not investigating his target a bit more thoroughly as he'd been watching him on and off for a few weeks.

In that time he had seen that, despite some self-esteem issues caused by his alcoholic parents, Alexander Harris had a lot of potential. He was brave and loyal, both of which were traits that would serve him well as a Beta especially with werewolf strength backing him up. But in all that time he had somehow missed the fact that the blond haired girl Buffy – which he had to admit was a weird name even by the quirky standards of Californians – was the Slayer.

That made things, difficult. Right now the Slayer was angry at him and like all supernatural beings he knew instinctively that getting a Slayer pissed off at you was very bad for your health. As an Alpha werewolf he easily matched her for sheer physical strength but he was well aware that a violent confrontation between them would not end well for him as the greater speed and agility of a Slayer easily offset his superior strength. If he wanted to keep his head and body intact he would have to be extremely careful about how he handled things from now on, especially when the time came to approach them openly.

 _Still my soon to be Beta being friends with the Slayer could be useful,_ he thought, _especially given this town seems to be infested with vampires._ If he could win her to his side then not only would the Slayer be highly useful in keeping the vampire rabble from interfering with his attempts to build a pack but she could prove useful to his other, much more long-term, goals as well.

Grinning at the thought of having a Slayer as an associate member of his future pack he moved across the roof to the fire escape. After descending several stories to the street below he concentrated and immediately felt his body shifting and changing…

…seconds later he ran out the alley he'd descended into as a black, but otherwise ordinary looking, wolf.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Well this chapter is done, it's a little shorter than I had hoped for but I didn't think I could have added much more to it. Now the question is how will Xander adjust to the realities of becoming a werewolf? Who exactly is Marcus and what does he really want, well aside from the normal Alpha thing of wanting to build and lead a pack of Betas?**

 **You'll all have to wait and see for those answers I will say however that Marcus is not in any way related to the Hales who are very much alive at this point in time. The Hales may well have a role to play in the fic as it develops given they are highly respected in the werewolf community I honestly haven't decided yet what – if any – role they will play.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wolf's Dawn**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly both Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf remain the property of their respective creators. I am merely borrowing there characters and make absolutely no profit whatsoever from their use so please keep the legal attack dogs, also known as lawyers, firmly muzzled and on a strong leash.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 **Giles Apartment**

 **Next Morning**

Xander groaned softly as an insistent electronic bleeping sound roused him out of the deep, uneasy sleep that he'd descended into. Slowly he opened his eyes, to find himself in an unfamiliar room that definitely wasn't his own and lying in an unfamiliar bed. _Huh this isn't my bedroom,_ he thought sitting up and looking around in honest befuddlement. _Where the hell am I?_ he thought. _And what's that insistent electronic bleeping?_ It sounded like an alarm clock but he couldn't see one in this strange bedroom yet the beeping was so loud that it had to be coming from somewhere in this room.

That was when his gaze landed on his right shoulder and saw the dressing and bandage there, the white standing out starkly against his tanned skin. It was then that he remembered everything that had happened last night. Leaving the Bronze, being bitten by something, being brought here by Willow and Buffy so Giles could treat the wound… and being told that he'd been bitten by a werewolf. He remembered going to bed in Giles spare room, and struggling to get to sleep due to the pain in his wounded shoulder.

A pain that wasn't there anymore.

Experimentally, bracing himself for pain, he moved his shoulder. No pain came though he could feel the dressing pulling against his skin as he moved. Shaking he cautiously undid the bandage and carefully peeled off the dressing… to reveal smooth unblemished skin. The bite on his shoulder was gone. And from what he'd read last night before coming to bed he knew what that meant.

He had become a werewolf.

Now that he thought about it he realised that his wound healing wasn't the only thing that had changed about him overnight. His whole body felt different, strange. Oh he still felt like himself but there was something new there, a feeling that he couldn't really describe in words. He just knew that his body was different now. It was a really strange, but oddly not uncomfortable, feeling.

A sudden thud from somewhere above made him jump.

"What the?" he said looking up, idly noting that the electronic alarm sound had disappeared. After a moment he heard the sound of a shower running and guessed that the G-Man was up and having a shower before coming downstairs. _Think I better get dressed and put the kettle on then,_ he thought as he got up and grabbed his clothes from where he'd left them on the back of the small chair next to the spare room's small chest of drawers.

 _I'm going to have to get Giles to drop me off at home,_ he thought as he started dressing. After all he couldn't exactly turn up at school wearing the exact same clothes that he'd worn the day before now could he. Despite his parent's best efforts to drag him down to their truly pathetic, waste of space, level of existence he had more pride than that. There was also the fact that there were bloodstains and a great big hole in his shirt from where he'd been bitten the night before. Despite his friendly nature Principal Flutie would be all over him if he turned up to school in clothing that was so damaged, to say nothing of the new taunting ammunition it would give Cordelia and her little gaggle of sycophants.

In moments he was dressed and walking into the main area of the apartment. In moments he was walking into the kitchenette and getting started on doing breakfast.

* * *

Dressed for the day Rupert Giles was greeted with the quite delightful smell of frying bacon as he descended to the ground floor of his split level apartment. _I guess Xander's up,_ he thought as he came to the bottom of the stairs and made his way to the kitchen. Sure enough there was the dark haired teenager standing at the stove frying bacon.

"Morning, Giles," Xander said in greeting not looking up from what he was doing.

"Good morning, Xander," Giles replied watching the young man work and noting he was using his right shoulder without any sign of discomfort, he also didn't seem to have the bandage and dressing on anymore. "How's your shoulder this morning?"

"It's fine. It doesn't hurt anymore and the wounds gone," Xander answered then paused what he was doing and looked over at him, "I guess we know what that means."

"Indeed we do," the Watcher agreed inwardly feeling more than a little sorry for the young man. Xander really didn't need this, didn't need to be drawn deeper into the supernatural world than he'd already willingly come. But sadly he had been and it was now his duty of care as a Watcher, and more importantly as a friend, to help him adjust to the realities of being a werewolf. _At least he's a type one,_ Giles thought recalling all the Council notes on werewolves that he'd read last night, _even when he shifts he should be fully aware and, with a little bit of work, able to keep full control over himself. Unlike the type two's which turn into mindless beasts around the full moon._

"Have you noticed any differences," he asked after a moment.

Xander frowned thoughtfully. "Well I heard your alarm clock this morning, it's actually what woke me up," Xander admitted after a moment as he resumed frying the bacon, "and I heard the shower upstairs start. And my body feels… well really strange… different I'm not sure how to put it into words."

"It's alright I get what you mean," Giles assured him guessing that what Xander was referring to was the fact that his body had, in a very real sense of the word, remade itself overnight. In fact it was probably still changing a little bit which would easily explain why he felt so strange. He quickly said as much to the young man.

"If you're already noticing changes in your senses," Giles continued, "then you should soon start noticing other differences, other changes that the bite has made to your body, soon enough."

"I guess," Xander admitted as he finished frying the bacon and transferred it to a plate which then went into oven, which was on extremely low power, just to keep warm. "How do you want your eggs? Poached, scrambled or fried?"

"Poached. But you know you didn't have to do breakfast, Xander," Giles pointed out.

"I wanted to," Xander replied as he put the water on to heat up so he could poach some eggs, "plus I'm kind of used to having to sort my own breakfast out in the mornings."

"Your parents drink that much?" Giles queried, he well remembered what Xander had said last night about his parents drinking far more than he'd like them to but he hadn't quite realised that there alcoholism was quite that bad. If there were either too hung over or too drunk to properly feed and clothe their son then what else did they do to him? He had a suspicion that they beat him as it would well explain Xander's preference for long sleeved clothing, but he had no proof.

"They drink all the time, G-Man," Xander replied. "Literally all the time, the only time they don't is when they're in work. Even then I've known dad take some Jack Daniels in a small flask."

"Forgive me for saying so but, Xander it sounds to me like you need to get out of there."

"I would like to but then…" Xander let his voice trail off and instead focused on what he was doing. He didn't want to burden Giles or anyone else with the knowledge of what his home life was like. Not even Willow knew for certain the kind of things he put up with, especially from Tony, though he knew she had her suspicions.

"But then what," Giles pressed gently as he wanted Xander to confirm aloud what his silence had already clearly told him. "It's alright you can tell me I won't judge you."

Xander sighed. "But then if I left Tony would just take out his frustrations on mom instead of on me," he admitted looking down and feeling the familiar shame. He just wish he knew what he'd done all those years ago for his father to start hitting him on such a regular basis. Shame gave way quickly to anger as not for the first time he realised just how much he really, really hated one Anthony Stewart Harris. Not just for how he treated him and mom and how he'd dragged mom into the pit of alcoholism with him. It surged through him like electricity and he felt something happening inside that didn't feel human at all. From somewhere, deep within, he felt something trying to surge forth and with a silent jolt realised it was the wolf in him trying to come out in response to his sudden surge of anger. _Oh hell,_ he thought as a tingling pain began in his hands and in his face bringing with it a feeling of his features beginning to change. He could feel the wolf trying to overwhelm him but knowing instinctively he could not allow that he balled up his fists and began fighting with himself.

* * *

Unaware of what was going on Giles narrowed his eyes at the confirmation that Xander was indeed an abused child. It explained so much from his preference for long sleeved clothing – even when short sleeved cloths would be more appropriate and comfortable, even he'd been known to wear short sleeved shirts on the hottest days of the year – to his very low level of self-esteem. Of course now that he knew about it he had a duty of care both as a Watcher and a member of the High School faculty to do something about it. He would have to talk with Xander about it first, see if it was alright for him to start dealing with the situation. It would have to be dealt with soon as newly turned werewolf and abusive, alcoholic parents did not make for a very good combination; in fact it made for a very bad, potentially homicidal combination and he didn't want Xander to have that on his conscience.

As if to prove that point Xander started growling, and not in a human fashion. No it was full on angry werewolf growling. Before he abruptly took a step back from the stove, looked down before balling his hands into fists.

"Are you alright, Xander," Giles asked concerned, prompting the young the dark haired teen to look up and turn his attention to him. Despite having half expected it from the way he was growling Giles was still surprised to see that the young man's eyes had changed, instead of their normal warm hazel brown they were glowing a bright golden colour almost like the colour of molten amber. His facial features were also starting to distort brow ridge starting to protrude more and his nose starting to broaden into a more lupine form, he could also see bushy black fur starting to sprout from the sides of his face towards his jaw. Plus he could see his ears lengthening and moving into points.

"It's alright," he said softly knowing he needed to help the young man calm down so he could regain control otherwise he would shift completely – and probably rip him apart in a flurry of primal anger without his conscious human mind being present to stop it.

"Xander I need you to listen to me, can you do that?" he continued and got a nod from the newly turned werewolf. "I want you to take deep breaths and then slowly let them out, with each exhalation imagine your anger draining away."

He watched as the younger man did as he instructed – taking in deep breaths and slowly letting them out through his open mouth, which now had four very sharp incisors present teeth; that Giles knew could render his flesh and bone with ease. Slowly it seemed to work, Xander's lupine features fading away back into his normal human appearance until finally even his eyes stopped glowing and returned to their normal brown colour.

"Are you alright now," he asked softly.

"Yeah man that was scary," Xander answered looking down so as not to meet Giles gaze. Instead he looked at his hands which were now showing distinct puncture wounds from where the razor sharp claws emerging from his fingertips had pierced his flesh. As he watched the bloody puncture wounds ceased bleeding and closed the spilled blood staining his palm fading moments later. "I've never felt like that before… if you hadn't told me to do that I would ha…. I'm a monster now aren't I?"

"No you're not a monster," Giles replied putting a gentle but firm hand on Xander's chin and forcing him to look up and meet his eyes, "you're a werewolf. There is a difference. Yes there is a wolf inside you now but you can learn to control this, Xander."

"Do you really think so?" Xander asked a note of desperate hope in his voice.

"No I know so," Giles answered drawing a slight smile from the younger man and making his eyes shine with unshed tears. With a jolt Giles realised that nobody – other than probably Willow and the late Jesse – had ever expressed confidence in Xander before, certainly no adult. "Now why don't you go and set the table I'll finish breakfast."

"Alright," Xander agreed.

As the young man left the kitchenette Giles mentally sighed. He was going to do everything in his power to help Xander not just come to terms with his sudden transformation into a werewolf but with his horrible home situation. It would take time, and gentle patience from him, but he would do anything and everything in his power to help him. Decision made he turned his attention to finishing off making breakfast.

* * *

 **Harris Residence**

 **An Hour Later**

Giles pulled his classic Citroen car up outside the bungalow that Xander called home. He hadn't really wanted to bring the teenager back here after what he'd told him earlier, not to mention the fact that the young man's buried anger had surged to the surface and caused him to start shifting, but Xander had made a good point that he couldn't turn up at school wearing his torn and bloody clothing from yesterday.

"If you want I'll wait for you here," he said looking over at said teenager sitting in the passenger seat.

"It's alright G-Man," Xander answered as he released his seatbelt and opened the door. "I can manage and if I'm lucky my folks will still be passed out drunk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. I'll see you at school."

Giles considered insisting on staying, just in case of another shifting incident but decided he didn't really have a choice but to leave. He would have to trust that, if his parents did wake up, that Xander wouldn't lose his temper and end up turning into a werewolf again and slaughtering them. He decided he would pull away and park around the block, that way he would be able to get here quickly to intervene if anything happened and if it didn't – well he'd be able to pull away and get to the High School without Xander being any the wiser that he'd stayed here.

"Alright I'll see you at school," he said gaining a nod from Xander as the young werewolf got out the car and closed the door behind him. For a moment he watched him walk up the path before starting the engine and pulling away.

* * *

Xander was nervous as he walked up to his front door. He hoped his folks were still passed out drunk, or had gone off to their respective jobs already, so he wouldn't have to deal with them. He wasn't sure he could deal with their hungover behaviour after everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours – especially as the Harris' idea of a hangover cure was to just start drinking again to numb the pain. _It's a miracle that they haven't dropped dead from alcohol poisoning years ago the way they carry on,_ he thought as he reached the front door and let himself in…

…and almost staggered at the odour that slammed into his newly enhanced senses like a sledgehammer making him momentarily gag.

The interior of the house stunk of various brands of alcohol, sweat, vomit and something he didn't want to think about. _Great one of them has wet themselves again or worse pooped on the carpet again,_ he thought as he slipped into the house. Without realising he was doing it he began moving with the natural stealth of the predator he now was through the darkened interior of the bungalow. The scents assaulting his nose were naturally strongest in the living room and poking his head around the door he saw them.

Both Tony and Jessica Harris were sprawled out on the couch where they'd been when he left them last night. Both were still snoring loudly, and he could see fresh vomit scarring the leather where one of them had thrown up during the night, the two drunken louts hadn't even bothered to attempt to clean it up. He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust at the scene. Shaking his head he moved on heading to his room.

* * *

They were still out for the count ten minutes later when, face still damp from a quick wash before dressing, he passed the living room. He couldn't wait to get out of this place as the smells were starting to make him feel more than a little sick. _Giles is right,_ he thought with a mental sigh, _I'm not going to be able to stay here. Super senses and useless, perpetually drunk parents just aren't a good mix._

He was increasingly tempted to take up Giles offer of staying in his spare room and the Watcher applying for custody of him on grounds that his parents, as drunken louts, were completely unable to care of him and were in fact downright abusive. They'd talked about, really talked, after breakfast with the Watcher's gentle persuasion getting him to really come clean on what his home life was like. Which was when he'd made the offer.

The one thing that was holding him back from taking the offer was the knowledge of what his father would do when he found out. Anthony Harris would explode with rage and indignation at losing his favourite punching bag/scapegoat for everything wrong in his worthless excuse for a life. And he wouldn't hesitate to turn that rage on the closest available target; his mother. He could take the hits of the drunken man's fists his mother definitely could not, more than once Tony had broken bones in her when he was at his abusive worst.

It was why he'd never said anything to anyone about his home life before. Though he of course knew that Willow's parents as well as Jesse's had long suspected that something bad went on inside his house as both were well aware of the Harris' reputation for being drunks and Tony's reputation for being a first class scumbag. Hell he wouldn't be surprised if even Cordelia suspected given the way she sometimes would slap down her minions – especially that stereotypical dumb blond Harmony – if they went too far in taunting him about his folks.

Of course now the whole werewolf thing changed the equation. Not only were the smells in his place disgusting and would either end up giving him a headache or making him sick if he stayed too long but there was the whole shifting when angry thing to think about. That had been scary as the wolf in him had been all set to attack and probably kill someone, in that particular instance Giles, it had taken all he could muster to stop it and listen to Giles as he told him how to push the anger away allowing him to regain full control over himself and the wolf within. Somehow he knew that if he lost it at home, which he definitely would the next time Tony tried to use him as a punching bag, then he could end up killing his parents. And while he wouldn't give a fucking damn about Tony killing his mother, who was just as much a victim as he was, would certainly destroy him.

He was really going to have to think about it all.

A sigh of relief was drawn from his lips as he emerged from his home back into the fresh air. A breeze was blowing in from the ocean today, not only making the temperature a little cooler than it normally would be even this early in the morning but bringing with it the faintest hints of the oceans saline scent which mixed with the scents of all the flowers in the various gardens and the smell of earth dampened by water sprays.

"Man these enhanced senses are going to take a bit of getting used to," he muttered to himself as he walked down the path towards the sidewalk and from there, ultimately, to Sunnydale High School.

* * *

 **Sunnydale High School**

 **A Short Time Later**

Xander was ambushed almost as soon as he arrived at Sunnydale High. Buffy and Willow materialising almost by magic out of the normal throng of students enjoying their last few minutes of freedom before the day began.

"Hi guys," he said as the Slayer and his bestest bud approached.

"Morning, Xander. How's the shoulder?" Buffy asked as she covertly checked his shoulder, her sharper than normal vision easily telling her that he wasn't wearing the dressing or bandage that Giles had put on him the night before. "It's healed hasn't it?" she asked though she already knew what the answer would be.

Rather than answer aloud Xander merely nodded. And watching as the two girls exchanged concerned glances as they both knew what that meant.

"…seen the new teacher yet," Cordelia's voice abruptly said prompting him to momentarily look around. To see Queen C and some of her minions – or rather minion as he could only see Aura, who of all the Cordette's seemed to be the closest thing that Cordelia had to a true friend unlike the others like Harmony who were pure sycophants – standing a few feet away talking.

"I have," he heard Aura say in response. "He's hot, what class do you think he's going to be teaching?"

A dainty hand waving in front of his face jolted him out of listening.

"You okay, Xander," Buffy asked as the newly turned werewolf's attention returned to her and Willow. "You seemed miles away then."

"Yeah sorry I was just listening to Cordelia and Aura talking," Xander replied. "I didn't want to but all of a sudden I could just…"

"…hear what they were saying," Buffy finished for him with a knowing look on her face. In a very real sense she'd been where Xander was now as part of the whole Slayer package was enhanced senses to better track vampires and demons with. Hearing conversations that she shouldn't be able to had been quite jarring after she'd first been called. It had taken her awhile to learn to control it and her other enhanced senses as one thing the Slayer calling didn't come with was an easy to read instruction manual – she imagined being turned into a werewolf was the same thing.

"Well yeah," Xander answered looking sheepish. "How did you know?"

Buffy smiled. "Because I've been there myself. It used to happen to me all the time when I was first called," she replied. "Suddenly having enhanced senses among other things did take quite a bit of getting used to. Eventually you'll learn to shut it out and to only listen when you want to. I'm quite happy to give you a few pointers if you want."

"Thanks, Buff."

"You're welcome. So what were they talking about?"

"Some new teacher," Xander replied as the three of them walked into the High School, "probably Dr Gregory's replacement. Well unless some more teacher positions have become available due to the gangs on PCP."

"I don't think so," Buffy answered reading the code word used by the local authorities to refer to vampires. "We'll know soon enough since we have biology first session. Hey Willow have you checked the staff lists recently?"

"Yesterday," Willow confirmed as they reached their lockers and started getting out the books needed for the first lesson of the day, "before going to the Bronze. There's only one new staff hire, a Dr Fredrickson – he's our new biology teacher."

"Huh I wonder what he's like," Buffy mused a moment before the warning bell rung announcing to all students that it was time to get to class. "Well we'll know in a minute come on."

"Right behind you Buff," Xander replied as the Slayer led the way away from the lockers, with himself and Willow bringing up the rear.

In minutes they'd filed into the biology classroom and taken their seats. All around other students milled about and settled down into their seats waiting for the lesson to begin. The bell sounded again letting all students and staff know that lessons were officially beginning. Xander couldn't help but wince as the noise assaulted his newly enhanced hearing. Buffy noticed and gently reached over from next to him and put her hand on his, prompting him to look at her to see the question in her eyes. He smiled back letting her know that he was alright. Buffy smiled back and withdrew her hand.

It was at that moment that the teacher arrived. Xander blinked when he saw a dark-haired Caucasian man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He was tall and broad shouldered with a powerful, muscular build that would make an NFL line-backer go green with envy. He found he couldn't look away, there was something in the way he was moving – with a power and confidence that said he knew he was the most powerful person in the room – that was mesmerizing. And there was something else… something that pulled at him, making the wolf inside go completely quiet and submissive.

The teacher put a briefcase down on the desk and scanned the classroom with his eyes, making sure everyone was in their seats and ready for the lesson to begin. However when his eyes met Xander's the newly turned werewolf found himself looking down and away, bearing his neck slightly to the other man. Out the corner of his eyes he was sure he caught the faintest glimmer of red in the older man's eyes. And suddenly he knew…

…their new teacher, Dr Fredrickson, was the werewolf who'd bitten him.

* * *

 **Author Notes: I'm honestly surprised how quickly this second chapter came together. So now the werewolf who bit Xander is the newest member of the faculty of Sunnydale High School. How that's going to affect things, and the relationship with Buffy and the other Scoobies, you'll have to wait and see.**

 **I know people might be a bit surprised by how quickly Xander seems to be able to control the shift between human and werewolf, but there is a reason for that which is also the reason – in my mind anyway – why the hyena spirit chose him to be the alpha of The Pack. What that reason is you'll have to wait and see. I will say however that he is not a long lost member of the Hale clan.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Wolf's Dawn**_

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own the vast majority of the characters that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, only the character of Marcus Fredrickson belongs to me and should not be used without my permission. All other characters remain the property of their respective creators and I make absolutely no profit from their use so please continue to keep the lawyers firmly on their leash.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 **Library**

 **Sunnydale High School**

 **Sometime Later**

"Are you absolutely certain about this, Xander?"

From where he was sitting beside Buffy on the steps leading to the upper level of the library Xander nodded in response to Giles question. He had just finished telling the Watcher and his two friends what he'd felt the moment he'd laid eyes on the new biology teacher and the fact that he couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

"I'm positive, Giles," he replied. "I knew as soon as I saw him. Our new biology teacher is the werewolf who bit me."

"I see," Giles answered with a frown. This was going to make things difficult as he had somehow never considered the possibility that the Alpha werewolf who'd bitten Xander would be the newest member of the High School faculty. It made him wonder if he had an ulterior motive for joining the teaching staff, maybe scouting for more innocent teenagers to bite and turn into werewolves. Since coming in today he'd read up more on type one werewolves and knew from those books that teenagers were the most likely to turn when bitten – being three to four times more likely to become werewolves themselves than an adult.

If that was his purpose then what were they to do about it? All the information he'd read indicated that type one werewolves could be dangerous opponents even for a Slayer. Even a beta level one like Xander could easily give Buffy a run for her money in the physical strength department. Alpha level werewolves were a whole league above her in terms of raw physical power though they couldn't match a Slayer for speed and agility. But then they didn't need to as Slayers were by nature close range combatants which was right where werewolves were at their most dangerous.

Then there was the fact that they didn't know what killing him would do to Xander. One of the most interesting facets of type one werewolves was the fact that – unlike with a type two – there was a very real supernatural bond between an Alpha and any wolf they made. He would have to do some very thorough investigations into its nature, and what effects severing it could have, before they did anything about Dr Fredrickson.

"So what do we do," Willow asked.

"Easy I go to his house tonight and slay him," Buffy replied a predatory look on her face. She was already looking forward to explaining to the werewolf the depth of the mistake that he'd made by attacking and turning Xander.

"Yes well I don't think that would be a very good idea at the moment, Buffy," Giles cautioned his Slayer while mentally rolling his eyes at the typical 'shoot first, ask questions later' response that seemed to be quite endemic to Americans. "Doctor Fredrickson is an Alpha werewolf of the type one lycanthrope. That means that he is considerably stronger than you and could very easily tear your head right off your body. Engaging him in close quarters would not be a very good idea.

"Plus we have no real idea why he is here," Giles continued. "And for all we know the attack on Xander last night could have very easily been an accident considering you had only recently finished patrolling."

"You mean he could have assumed I was a vampire," Xander asked.

"Possibly and there is one other reason why we can't just kill him," Giles answered and looked pointedly at Xander "and that's you."

"Me?"

"Yes one of the most interesting things about your kind of werewolf is there is a supernatural bond between an Alpha werewolf and any Beta that they make," Giles explained, "your inability to look him in the eye in class is already proof of its existence. We do not know what effect severing the bond would have on you, especially if its severed by Doctor Fredrickson's death. It could drive you mad or transfer his Alpha powers to you and considering you don't even have a handle on your existing lycanthropic abilities…"

"That would be a bad thing," Xander finished with an inward shiver at the reminder of his lack of control. The fact that he'd come so close to losing it this morning and killing Giles just because he got mad at Tony. Frankly it still terrified him.

"So what do we do," Buffy asked with a slight pout. She'd so wanted to beat up the werewolf who's turned her friend but now she apparently couldn't.

"One we watch him carefully to see if we can find out why he's here and if biting Xander was deliberate or accidental," Giles said. "If he is deliberately targeting and turning people against their will, like he's done to Xander, then we'll stop him one way or another. Two we have to get ready for the full moon."

"Oh yeah that's in three days," Willow exclaimed slightly alarmed. She wondered what was going to happen to Xander when the full moon came up. What form his inevitable transformation would take, would he turn into an actual wolf, some hybrid anthropomorphic form or something more like the wolf man look of the more classic horror movies? And would said transformation be painful for him as werewolf transformations were often shown to be in the movies? She just didn't know as the little research she'd done last night hadn't been at all informative of this particular front.

"Tell me something I don't know, Wills," Xander replied a fearful look on his face. Somehow he didn't think the simple breathing exercise that Giles had taught him this morning would be any help keeping the Wolf in him under control during the full moon. He knew somehow that he would shift, the question was how he would manage then. Could he stay in control or would the Wolf overwhelm him? "What are we going to do about that?" he asked, "if I lose control when I shift I could easily hurt someone or worse."

"I won't let that happen, Xander," Buffy replied putting a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to provide some moral support. "All we need do is figure out some way of containing you and if you got out – well I'll knock you out if I have to."

"Thanks, Buffy," Xander answered relieved to know that whatever else happened the blond haired Slayer wouldn't allow Wolf-Him to harm anyone.

"I have already begun looking into various locations where we can ensure both your own and everyone else's safety during the full moon, Xander," Giles told him. "I have also looked up some additional breathing and meditative exercises for you that should help you maintain control during and after a shift. I have begun copying the instructions to a pad for you to read and I'll certainly be available should you require any help."

"Thanks," Xander replied a moment before the bell sounded to inform students that it was time to start heading to their next classes. Prompting him to sigh as he realised what was due next, unlike Buffy and Willow he didn't have a free period so couldn't just hang around here with them in the library on the pretext that they were 'studying', no he had to head across to the gym. Resigned to having to go, well unless he wanted to explain everything to Principal Flutie, he stood up.

"Where you off to?" Buffy asked curious as she hadn't realised that Xander had any different lessons to her and Willow today. There timetables had a very nice tendency to overlap much of the time, which really came in handy when they had some research to do.

"Gym class," Xander replied as he picked up his backpack. "Which I'm really not looking forward to."

"Oh why not?" Buffy asked wondering what was wrong with gym class.

"Do you have any idea how bad the boy's locker room smells?" Xander asked with a raised eyebrow. "It was bad enough when I was normal but now it's going to be even worse."

Buffy grimaced. "I get you," she said with an understanding nod. "I have to say that of all my Slayer powers the enhanced senses took the longest for me to really get used to. Though you do have one advantage that I lacked at the time when I was called."

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Which is," he asked curious.

"You know what's happening to you and why. I didn't when it happened to me, not until Merrick found me," Buffy replied her eyes turning sad at the mention of her first Watcher. She hadn't forgotten how he'd sacrificed himself for her, to save her from some of Lothos' minions. Though she'd dusted Lothos and his entire coven – in the process burning Hemery High's gym to the ground, which had gotten her expelled but it had been worth it to see that Master Vampire, one of the worst in centuries, die - in retribution for Merrick's death it haunted her to this day.

From where he was standing Giles looked sadly at his charge. He knew full well that Buffy was still deeply troubled by the death of his predecessor. Merrick's loss had been a terrible blow to the Watchers Council as an institution – thought Travers and his traditionalists had been quick to capitalise on the sudden weakness in the ranks of those who wanted to modernise things with the Council a bit caused by Merrick, one of their greatest proponents, being killed – and him personally. He'd known John Merrick well and considered him a friend, indeed Merrick was one of the people who helped him recover from the dark magic abuse he'd taken part in during his rebellious 'Ripper' phase, which was why he'd jumped at the chance to replace him as Buffy's Watcher.

The bell sounding again, this time as a final warning before class started, broke the moment. "I need to go," Xander said softly, putting a comforting hand on Buffy's shoulder for a moment before leaving the library.

"Buffy you should follow him to the gym," Giles said softly.

"Okay why?" Buffy asked as she pushed down her memories of Merrick and the lingering pain and grief that they brought instead focusing on the immediate issue.

"Just to keep an eye on him," Giles replied, "my books indicate that intense physical activity, especially where there is a great degree of competition involved, can cause control problems for newly turned Beta level werewolves like Xander. So I would like you to go to the gym and just keep an eye on him just in case."

"You mean he could shift in the gym," Willow asked.

"At very least partially if he's not careful," Giles replied "especially if somebody makes him angry as negative emotions like anger make control much harder."

"So he could hurt someone?" Willow questioned with a worried frown. _Poor, Xander why did Professor Fredrickson have to do this to him,_ she thought.

"No he could very easily end up killing someone if he loses control," Giles answered as bluntly as possible so both girls would know just how serious the situation was. From the gasps and horrified looks that both Buffy and Willow shot him he knew he'd succeeded.

"Alright Giles I'll go," Buffy answered, feeling once again a surge of anger directed at the lycanthropic professor who'd bitten Xander. "Is there anything in specific that I need to look out for? Any sign that he might be about to…" Her voice trailed off as she found herself unable to say the words that would have completed the sentence.

"His eyes," Giles replied as Buffy trailed off. "Keep an eye on them, if you start to see a gold glow appearing for more than an instant then get him away from the others, I don't care how you do it just get him away from the rest of the people in the gym. If it helps remind him of the breathing exercise I taught him this morning, if he starts to get close to losing it that could help him."

Buffy nodded in understanding before looking at Willow. "You going to come, Willow?" she asked knowing that Willow stood a better chance of keeping Xander grounded than she did, she'd known him longer after all.

Willow considered for a moment then nodded as she could see where Buffy was coming from. "I'll come with you," she said at last standing up.

"Alright let's go," Buffy said. Willow nodded back and the two girls hurriedly left the library heading for the gym. Giles watched them go with a faintly resigned look knowing that they were both likely to be really confronted with the fact that technically Xander wasn't really a human being anymore. And that said encounter would probably be deeply shocking for them, to see real visible evidence of the supernatural creature the young man now was. He made a mental note to be ready to speak with them about it should they need to.

In the meantime he could get back to doing some research into one Professor Marcus Fredrickson, maybe even tap some of his supernatural contacts both inside and outside the Council now that he knew the man to be an Alpha werewolf. Maybe he would be able to find out just what had drawn a type one werewolf to a Hellmouth, a place that there kind normally didn't like to frequent due to the sheer volume of vampires and dark creatures that were found in such places. And maybe from there may be why he'd chosen to bite Xander.

* * *

 **Authors Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than I would have liked it to be, I was originally going to include a section featuring a sport that Xander suddenly finds himself good at – just like how Scott suddenly got good at Lacross in Teen Wolf – but I don't know enough about what kind of sports are played in American High Schools, and it's been nearly twenty years since I was last in comprehensive school here in the UK, to have been able to pull it off. So I left it out as a result the chapter is shorter than my normal standard sorry about that.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Wolf's Dawn**_

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly both Teen Wolf and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer remain the property of their respective creators, I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use so please keep the lawyers away as I have no money to give anyone. Only the character of Marcus Fredrickson belongs to me and should not be used without asking me first.**

 **Authors Notes: A few people in reviews have complained about the fact that Xander is currently a Beta werewolf when he has a very alpha male personality and didn't hesitate to stand up to Buffy even knowing she could easily break him in half. This is only temporary as all teen wolf style werewolves – type one werewolves as the Watchers Council calls them – start out as Beta's, Xander will however become an Alpha far sooner than anyone thinks as befitting his personality.**

 **I hope that reassures everyone who was worried about the whole Beta thing.**

 **On another note thanks for all the sports suggestions people. Thinking about it Xander could easily become a track and field athlete as there his supernaturally enhanced abilities won't be immediately obvious. I'll probably show or hint that's what he's become over the next couple of chapters, especially once we've got the upcoming events of The Pack – which according to my plans will be covered either in the next chapter or the one immediately after it – out of the way.**

 **Now without further ado let's get on with the story. The events of this chapter take place a few days after the events of the previous chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 **Library**

 **Sunnydale High School**

"Are you sure this is going to work, Giles?"

Buffy's question hung pregnant in the air of the quiet library, most of the students and faculty having long since headed for their homes for the evening. _Or in the case of most of the student's home then the Bronze since tomorrow is Saturday,_ she thought. The cause of her question was right in front of the three teenage members of the self-proclaimed Scooby Gang.

One of the book cages had been carefully emptied of its contents, the books stacked neatly on some tables off to the side so they could be put back before school on Monday morning. Surrounding it - aside from a gap near the door – Giles had placed a thin line of some greyish brown powder and had a small pot off to one side that he could use to completely the line once Xander entered the impromptu cage. The reason he had to go in there was obvious as tonight was a full moon and he… well… he was a werewolf after all.

Buffy inwardly grimaced slightly at the reminder that, despite appearances, her best male friend wasn't technically speaking really human anymore. Most of the time it was easy to ignore the fact that he was a werewolf but there were times when it was undeniable that he was. Like during gym class three days ago. She and Willow had ended up watching the boys play dodge ball and while normally she'd be more interested in watching the more hunky guys get all sweaty – after all she was a teenage girl – she'd kept her eyes on Xander the entire time.

For the most part the game had gone well. Well aside from Xander seemingly dodging every ball that was thrown his way by the opposing team with an easy athleticism that he'd never been shown to possess before. At least till Larry and Percy decided that they'd had enough of him showing them up and decided to double team him. She clearly remembered what happened next as it had clearly communicated to both her and Willow the reality that Xander wasn't entirely human.

* * *

 _She felt like cheering as she watched Xander evade yet more balls thrown at him by the opposing dodge ball team, which consisted of some of the biggest guys in the school amongst them Larry, with an effortless ease that she could only admire. Though at the same time it was kind of freaking her out as he'd never displayed anywhere near that level of athletic ability before now, which meant it was something that he now had because of Professor Fredrickson's bite._ _Gah I wish Giles would let me slay him for that,_ _she thought, entertaining herself with thoughts of slaying the Alpha werewolf slowly and painfully for his actions._

 _Willow poking her in the ribs brought her out of those fantasies and she gave the redhead a thankful look and turned her attention back to the game and Xander. Just in time to see him dodge another ball only to be hit hard in the face and chest by two balls thrown by Larry and Percy who'd obviously decided they'd had enough of him showing them up and double teamed him. The impacts knocked Xander onto his back with a yelp of pain, surprise and more a little anger at the obvious double teaming._

" _Harris off," the coach shouted._

 _Buffy stood up as Xander got back to his feet, glared at the two smugly smirking jocks for a moment before moving to the bench and sitting down. Whereupon he promptly looked down and seemed to her to be trying to push something away with breathing exercises. Concerned she moved down to him with Willow beside her._

 _"Xander are you alright," she asked as she stood in front of him. He didn't answer. "Xander."_

" _What!" Xander answered at last but his voice didn't sound quite right. She and Willow exchanged a concerned look as there was a distinct hit of a wolf's angry growl in his voice._

" _Are you alright?" Buffy queried again reaching out and gently making him look up at her. She couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath as she saw his eyes, instead of their normal warm hazel brown they were glowing a brilliant gold. As Xander was taking in breaths through his nose and slowly breathing out through his mouth she also got a distinct glint of distinctly canine fangs being present in place of his normal incisors._

 _But they were only there for a moment. As she watched the fangs seemed to melt away and turn back into normal looking teeth, simultaneously the golden glow in her friends eyes faded back into the normal brown. Though it had only been for a moment the sight of at least part of the wolf now inside and part of him had been something of a shock._

 _Damn you Marcus for doing this to him,_ _she thought,_ _one day soon I will make you pay for it_ _._

* * *

"It will work, Buffy," Giles replied jolt her out of the flashback. "Just in case the book cage isn't strong enough I've placed an incomplete line of powdered mountain ash wood around the perimeter. Once Xander goes inside the cage I'll complete the ring."

"What good will that do," Willow asked.

"It will form a kind of magical barrier, kind of like a mystical force field," Giles explained, "no supernatural being like Xander will be able to penetrate it… unfortunately it will also work on you, Buffy. Since you're the Slayer you are also technically a supernatural being."

"So I won't be able to get out," Xander questioned.

"Exactly you'll remain trapped inside until someone breaks the line of mountain ash," Giles explained. "You won't be in danger of hurting anyone else."

Xander smiled back in relief. He started to open his mouth to say something but before he could form any words he winced as he felt something like an internal flare going off. Glancing up he saw, with a faint hint of horror that the great silver disc of the full moon was starting to appear. "It's time," he said softly.

"Indeed enter the cage," Giles instructed looking at the young werewolf sympathetically knowing from his research that the first shift was always the roughest on a new beta as it was the one shift that was always painful. Xander nodded back and resolutely entered the cage, Buffy followed a little way behind him coming just close enough to close and lock the door. As soon as his Slayer withdrew Giles moved forward and carefully completed the line of mountain ash.

"So what do we do now," Willow asked a half a second before Xander abruptly screamed in pain.

Turning her full attention to her best friend she could only watch helplessly as he staggered back, then forward before collapsing to his knees hands resting on the thick mesh, head down as his chest heaved with rapid pained gulps of air. _Oh Xander,_ she thought sympathetically. She couldn't help but both flinch and jump as he abruptly threw his head back and opened his mouth to scream again… only the sound that emerged from his mouth wasn't a scream of pain but a deep animalistic roar that made her want to run away in fear.

"It's hurting him so much," Buffy said softly, sadly as she watched Xander convulse in pain for a second before he just… changed.

As she watched his finger nails lengthened and sharped turning instantly into inch long, razor sharp claws. Simultaneously large fangs erupted into existence in his mouth and thick bushy black fur seemed to burst through the skin on his cheeks making him look like he suddenly had sideboards. From here she could see his ears shift, lengthen and becoming pointed like the ears of a wolf.

Then he looked straight at them and she couldn't help but take a startled step back as his face had changed. It was still Xander's face but there was a distinct, inhuman distortion to it. His brow ridge was protruding further out and appeared thicker, his eyebrows were larger and had the same bushy black fur look as the hairs running down the sides of his face towards his jaw. His nose appeared flatter and broader, which coupled with his glowing golden eyes – which were looking straight at them with both great intelligence and raw primal power and a hint of hunger – gave his face a very distinct lupine appearance while still maintaining a lot of human overtones.

For a few moments nothing more happened. Then Wolf-Xander growled at them and leapt forward only to bounce off the metal of the cage and land on his back. Which didn't seem to discourage him at all as he quickly recovered and leapt forward again, his intention to attack them very clear only to bounce off the cage wall again.

Apparently not being one to give up easily the werewolf that Xander had turned into snarled and started to move forward to attack again… only to abruptly stumble and collapse onto its knees. _Now what's happening,_ Buffy wondered as the werewolf abruptly emitted another roar only this time instead of pain it appeared to be one of surprise, before it flipped over onto its back, closed its eyes and went quiet.

"Giles what's happening," she asked her Watcher shocked by this sudden and dramatic change in the werewolf's behaviour. Did it mean something had gone wrong, was Xander dying as a result of whatever it was? If he was dying then she swore that, even if it was the last thing she ever did, Marcus Fredrickson would pay for it with his lycanthropic life.

"I don't know," Giles replied before looking at Willow and immediately feeling his heart go out to her as he could see tears running down her cheeks. He quickly moved over to her and pulled her into a hug, knowing that seeing this – seeing her best friend since childhood transform into a werewolf – had been very hard for her. After a moment he became aware of Buffy joining the hug from the other side.

"It hurt him so much," Willow sobbed into Giles jacket.

"My research indicates the first transformation always does even for a type one werewolf," Giles replied, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have let you be here to see this."

"We needed to be here, Giles," Buffy answered as she broke the hug and looked back at the werewolf lying in the cage. For some reason she couldn't think of him/it as Xander at the moment. "For him. Is there anything we can do to help him now?"

"I don't know," Giles admitted. "All we can do, or rather all I can do as you still have to patrol tonight, is watch him."

Buffy scowled and prepared to complain about having to leave to patrol for vampires, even though she knew she had to as it was her duty and the fang faces were always especially active on Friday and Saturday nights, when Xander needed them. But before she could a sound from the cage caught her attention and she looked back over…

…in time to see the werewolf convulsing for a few seconds. After which it arched its back, emitted a weak sounding howl, before collapsing back flat then rolling onto its front where before her eyes the wolf features abruptly melted away. After a second the werewolf emitted a very human sounding groan.

"X…X…Xander," Willow asked cautiously.

"Willow," Xander answered sounding tired, weak but triumphant as though he'd just won some exhausting battle. The three of them watched as he slowly raised his head…

…to look at them with the glowing red eyes of an Alpha werewolf.

* * *

 **A Few Moments Earlier**

Xander was resolute as he stepped into the temporarily repurposed book cage. He heard Buffy close and lock the door behind him, then he heard the faint rustling sound of Giles completely the line of powdered mountain ash. He could feel it inside, could feel the Wolf stirring and coming towards the surface.

Mentally he tried to push it down, to keep it back only for the rising werewolf to simply breakthrough his feeble attempts to keep it contained. Sharp, tingling pain erupted in his face and hands as it surged forth and he couldn't help but scream at the sudden agony. He was faintly aware of dropping to his knees and gasping repeated as the pain grew worse.

His vision turned amber and he felt himself changing, felt the fur, claws and fangs growing in the last few seconds before he felt the Wolf push his consciousness aside and fill the void left behind by his absence with itself. _Oh no you don't,_ he thought as he attempted to push back, to regain control of his body and mind only to be thrown back by what felt like some kind of barrier that was now separating everything that was him from the primal power and instincts of the werewolf.

Undeterred, and somehow being aware that Wolf-Him was attacking the cage trying to get out so it could feast on the food it could see and smell on the other side, he struck at the barrier again. This time the barrier between them flickered and almost gave way. Emboldened he tried again and the barrier collapsed.

And suddenly he was surging forward and tackling the wolf which emitted a cry of shock and surprise. Then suddenly they were both falling until there was a brilliant flash…

…and suddenly Xander found himself standing alone in a strange place that seemed to be featureless aside from ever shifting greyish white clouds. A soft light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time illuminated everything around not that there was anything to see except the endless shifting and swirling cloud.

"Hello Alexander," a Greek accented male voice said from behind him.

Whirling around in place Xander blinked as he found himself suddenly face to face with a middle aged man dressed in classical Greek robes. The robes hugged a powerful, muscular body and were held closed by a golden clasp in the shape of a wolf.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What's this place?"

"I am Lycan," the Greek man said. "I am the First Werewolf and the Lord of all Werewolves. As for where we are, this is the spirit plane."

"Why am I here," Xander asked even as he made a mental note to look up Lycan later with Giles, assuming he had one of course.

"You are here, Alexander for the simple reason that you are an anomaly. One of only a few that I have encountered in the many thousands of years since Zeus first cursed me and my sons with becoming wolves," Lycan answered. "You see most new Beta's lose control to the Wolf a few times in a row before they learn to control it, to make it bow to their will and even then their control can be tenuous especially on the full moon. For you to break through the barrier in the way you did is extraordinary and marks you as potentially something truly special."

"Which is?"

"You'll find out but first you have to prove something," Lycan replied, "look behind you."

Xander blinked and did so, to see a shape appear out of the mist and solidify. It was a wolf, a large black furred wolf with glowing golden eyes. And somehow he knew that this was him, or rather the wolf spirit that had been bound to him when he'd been bitten.

There was a sudden flash and Xander found himself no longer in his familiar jeans, t-shirt and Hawaiian print shirt. Instead he was dressed in the armour of a Roman gladiator. A Roman short sword, a Gladius if he remembered the name correctly from the last field trip to Sunnydale Museum, appeared in his hand.

"You and the Wolf will fight," Lycan said from behind him, "if you win you will become a True Alpha, the first in more than a hundred years and the first to earn your power this way in nearly three and a half centuries."

"And if I lose?"

"Then you'll become a monster every full moon just like the tainted ones do," the lord of werewolves told him. "I will give you one piece of advice, here in the spirit world it is not the strength of your body that counts but the strength of your mind."

"I understand," Xander replied. _At least I think I do,_ he thought.

"Good." There was another flash and suddenly he and the Wolf were standing inside what looked like a recreation of a Greek or Roman amphitheatre. They were alone aside from Lycan who was now sitting on an ornate golden throne in what in a Roman amphitheatre would be the box where the emperor, proconsul or a high ranking senator would have sat.

"Begin," Lycan ordered.

Xander blinked as the Wolf immediately howled with bloodlust and shot towards him. Calmly he stood his ground until the last possible moment before moving slightly to the side, just enough that the Wolf started to shoot past him. He immediately brought the Gladius down in a sweeping motion, surprised despite himself that it didn't seem to weigh anything, intending to take off the Wolf's head. Only for the Wolf to also shy off to the side so instead of scoring a lethal blow all he did was cut a bleeding furrow in the beast's right shoulder.

The Wolf howled in pain and came back around again intent on knocking him down. This time he wasn't quite quick enough and the creature leaped up and knocked him to the floor pinning him down with its front paws. Its jaws, mere inches from his face now, opened and he could feel the head of it and sense the Wolf's lust for blood. Not about to let it win, knowing he couldn't do that to his girls, he used his legs like springs and sent the creature flying. The Wolf crashed down behind him with a yelp, standing up he turned to face it ready for its next attack.

Only to find the Wolf lying on its side whimpering, and from the way it's one front paw was twisted the impact had broken its leg. Holding the Gladius ready he cautiously approached the Wolf – wary of being tricked – and prepared to end its life. The Wolf growled at him and tried to stand only for Xander to use his leg to push it back down. For a moment it resisted, then it slumped in submission acknowledging its defeat. For a second he considered killing it but then he lowered the Gladius and let it fall, there was no threat here now.

Seemingly in response the Wolf glowed and before his eyes dissolved into a glowing red cloud of shimmering energy. A cloud that surrounded him and with an electric light jolt entered his body. There was a brilliant flash of light again and suddenly he was back in the cloudy void with Lycan and dressed back in his normal clothes.

"Well done," Lycan said from behind him. "You won."

"Yeah I did does this mean that…"

"You're a True Alpha now, yes," Lycan replied. "It also means that there is no longer a bond between you and Marcus as he is no longer your Alpha."

"So now what?"

"Now you return to the mortal plane," the lord of werewolves told him. "Know this my son you have a great destiny ahead of you as well as many challenges to face and overcome. Build your pack and lead it well for you will need that strength for all the trials you shall face."

Xander frowned and started to open his mouth to question the lord of werewolves on what he meant. But before he could the brilliant flash came again…

…and suddenly he was back in Sunnydale High lying flat on his back in the book cage. His whole body was aching as though he'd just gone ten rounds with a vampire but aside from that he felt fine. He no longer felt the Wolf yet he knew somehow it was still there, only now it was completely subservient to him, completely bound to him its power there for whenever he needed it. Slowly, awkwardly with arms that felt like they were made of rubber, he flipped over onto his chest and started to rise.

"X…X…Xander," he heard Willow's voice say, the words shaking and he knew from her tones that she'd been crying. _Did seeing me turn into a werewolf upset her that much,_ he thought.

"Willow," he answered and was surprised by how tired his voice sounded. But then he had kind of just been in a fight for his own existence so to speak. Fighting the exhaustion he forced himself to look up at his childhood friend, the Slayer and her Watcher…

…and all three gasped.

"You're an Alpha," Giles breathed in shock gazing into the glowing red eyes. Though they only remained red for a few moments as Xander blinked and suddenly his eyes were their normal hazel colour once again. "How?"

"Epic death match between me and the Wolf on the spirit plane and in a mock-up of a Roman amphitheatre, overseen by the Lord of Werewolves Lycan himself," Xander answered. "If I'd lost I'd be feral every full moon like the type two's are – the tainted ones Lycan called them. But I won and as a result I'm an Alpha now."

"Does that mean that…" Buffy started to say hopefully.

"That there is no longer a bond between me and Professor Fredrickson," Xander finished for her, "yes."

"Cool I can slay him."

"We'll discuss that later, Buffy," Giles told his Slayer firmly. "As I told you before Alpha werewolves are dangerous combatants and easily stronger than you. We will have to be very careful in how we deal with him."

"I remember," Buffy replied with a slight pout of disappointment, unhappy at the thought that she was still going to have to wait to teach Professor Fredrickson the depth of the mistake he'd made when he'd attacked Xander.

Xander smirked slightly at the disappointment he could see on Buffy's face. Feeling the weakness in his limbs fade somewhat he got awkwardly to his feet. "Ugh guys can you please let me out of here now," he asked.

"Of course Xander one moment," Giles replied before stepping forward and carefully breaking the mountain ash line. Once that was done he unlocked and opened the door to the book cage allowing Xander to step back out into the library.

"So what do we do now," Willow asked. "Patrol as normal."

"No now you tell me exactly how the first of my new Betas has spontaneously turned into an Alpha," a new voice said prompting everyone to turn in the direction of the library doors…

…to see that Marcus Fredrickson had come into the room and was glaring at them his eyes glowing a brilliant red.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Well another chapter bites the dust, I'm honestly surprised how quickly this chapter flew together. To see what happens next, what goes down with Marcus now that Xander is an Alpha – told you all he wouldn't be a Beta for very long – be sure to tune in next time. Until then stay safe.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wolf's Dawn**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement. Sadly, Buffy and Teen Wolf remain the properties of their respective creators and I make no profit from their use. So please no legal actions as I have no money to give anybody.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Five**_

 **Library**

 **Sunnydale High School**

"No now you tell me exactly how the first of my new Betas has spontaneously turned into an Alpha."

The moment he heard Professor Fredrickson's voice Xander turned to look in the direction of the door, to see that the other werewolf had sneaked into the room. Sneaked in and was now looking pointedly at them, his eyes glowing bright alpha red in an obvious attempt to intimidate some answers out of them. Strangely enough however the glowing red of the others eyes didn't intimidate him whatsoever, instead all he could feel was annoyance and anger that this man was near his… his pack.

 _Pack what the hell,_ he thought, _since when did I start thinking of the Scoobies as pack? Must be a werewolf thing._ Whatever it was he knew somehow that he couldn't let this not very subtle challenge go unanswered. A red tint appeared in his vision as, completely unknown to himself, his own eyes began glowing red as well as the two Alpha's locked eyes with one another and began a silent battle of wills.

"Giles what's going on," Buffy asked her Watcher, eying Fredrickson nervously as he and Xander just stared at each other – eyes glowing blood red. The Slayer in her got the distinct impression that there was a battle going on between the two werewolves but one that was purely mental as opposed to physical. It threw her a bit as she was used to solving supernatural problems with physical violence not something like this.

"Just watch, Buffy," Giles cautioned his Slayer even as he watched the standoff in fascination as none of the information he'd read on type one werewolves indicated that such silent stand offs could occur between Alpha's. But then the Council's information on werewolves – especially type one werewolves who were somewhat rarer than the more primal type two's who were themselves pretty damned rare in the supernatural scheme of things in this day and age – was limited.

Thinking about it though he guessed it made sense for type one Alpha's especially to not always resort to physical violence to resolve dominance or territorial issues. After all, given their immense physical strength, which was noted to be impressive even by supernatural standards, and the razor sharp teeth and claws it would be very easy for Alpha's to seriously injure or kill one another if disputes always ended in violence. He made a mental note to write this particular factoid down in his official Watcher diary later, in fact he decided it might be a good idea to write down all his observations of Xander, Professor Fredrickson and any other type one werewolves in town so future generations of Watchers would know more about this kind of supernatural being should they encounter one.

For what seemed like forever the standoff continued, then by some unseen signal both Alpha's backed down the red glow fading from their eyes. _What's going to happen now,_ Giles wondered, though somehow he doubted they were going to fight as neither Xander nor Fredrickson were showing any sign that they were about to come to blows.

"Your strong willed young one," Marcus said at last, "good you will need that. I admit I wasn't expecting you to turn out to be a True Alpha after I realised I'd bitten you."

"You mean you didn't intend to bite, Xander," Buffy asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Yes and no," Marcus answered, lying expertly as he'd long since learned how to do that. There was no need for Ms Summers to know that he'd always planned on biting her friend and making a Beta out of him.

Though had he known that he had the potential to be a True Alpha he might well have changed his mind about the whole thing. But there was no use crying over spilt milk he would just have to adjust his plans to compensate for this most unexpected of developments. Which meant basically that he had to be willing to share Sunnydale with Xander Harris – and whatever pack he built as he would soon feel the need to have one, all Alpha's did – at least for now, if he wanted to avoid getting into a confrontation with the Slayer. Oh while he'd likely win such a confrontation, like all Alpha werewolves he was a lot stronger than her after all, it wasn't worth getting into. Especially as it would mean potentially alerting the Watchers to his long term plans, prompting them to either move against him themselves or alert the nearest group of Hunters to his location.

It was an inconvenience to be sure but he could deal. Especially given the short life expectancy of Slayers after they were called, he fully expected that Ms Summers would be dead in a few months at best or a year at the most. Some master vampire or demon was bound to get her at some point, which would prompt the Watcher to leave. Once they were out of the way it would be a simple matter to kill Harris and take any Beta's he made as his own.

Though if he was careful and if he played his cards right then Xander could voluntarily join him. Having a True Alpha on his side would be highly useful, especially if half the rumours about a True Alpha's abilities were true.

"What do you mean by that," Buffy asked still eyeing the other werewolf suspiciously.

"I was going to watch him for a while longer before offering the choice of being bitten," Marcus answered. "Turning someone is not something you just do, Ms Summers. When you make someone a Beta you take on a very big responsibility. As there Alpha you have to help them learn control and to find their place within a pack. It is honestly a lot of work."

"So why'd you bite me," Xander asked having wanted to ask that question for the last four days, ever since he'd realised that their new biology professor was the one who'd bitten him.

"Believe it or not it was an accident," Marcus admitted, putting on his best sheepish look. "Since I can assume a full wolf form if I want to I was sniffing around Sunnydale, getting to know this place as anyone who saw me would just think of me as a very big stray dog. I was in that alley behind that nightclub place that seems so popular…"

"The Bronze," Willow said supplying the name.

"Yes the Bronze. Then you came along and since you smelt like a vampire my instinct then was to attack you as your Watcher here should confirm werewolves and vampires are natural enemies. It was only after I knocked you down that I realised you were still human."

"But you didn't need to bite me," Xander shot back feeling his emotions, especially the anger at being denied the right to choose for himself, flare unknowingly momentarily making his eyes flash red.

Marcus paid the flash of anger no mind, instead he merely raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather I have killed you," he asked, not really caring about being blunt about it or the fact that both Willow and Buffy shivered at the thought of Xander being killed. "Once I was committed to the attack my instincts took over, you will find that will happen to our kind Xander as we're more connected to our instincts than humans are. When I realised you were human I had only two choices and a split second to make that decision in, kill you by ripping out your throat or bite you."

Xander flinched at the thought of how close he'd come to being killed that night. "Well I suppose biting me was the better option I certainly wouldn't want to be another entry in the school paper's obituary section," he admitted. "Still how could I smell like a vampire?"

"Y…you did dust one earlier that evening," Willow reminded him, "the wind blew the dust all over you."

"That would impart the smell of a vampire onto your clothing, Xander," Giles confirmed, before giving Marcus a look of disapproval. "But you shouldn't be so quick to judge or attack things. Since this is a Hellmouth things here are not always what they appear to be."

"Oh believe me Mr Giles I am well aware of that," Marcus admitted, "I just reacted without thinking about it. Can you say you've never done that? And if it's hard for you imagine how hard it is for us given we're more connected to our primal instincts."

"I suppose you do have a point," Giles conceded reluctantly. He wasn't quite sure about Marcus still, instinct and a lifetime of experience with all manner of supernaturals as well as magic telling him that there was something Marcus wasn't telling them. That he wasn't quite as innocent as he was making himself out to be. He made a mental note then and there to check with his own contacts in the wider supernatural community if they knew anything about an Alpha werewolf called Marcus Fredrickson, see if he could gather more information on the man that could confirm or disprove his suspicions.

"So now what?" Buffy asked.

"Now you do whatever you wish to do tonight Ms Summers," Marcus said, "I will leave here now as I have a few things to think about not to mention several ton of marking to do. Xander I know I'm probably not your favourite person at the moment but should you need to know anything wolf related let me know and I'll gladly help you since it's my fault you're in this position now."

Xander nodded in understanding though he really had no intention of asking anything from the lycanthropic professor. No if he wanted any answers to anything werewolf related he'd either ask Giles or do his best to figure it out himself. Assuming of course he didn't have any more spirit plane meetings with Lycan. He definitely wasn't going to ask the guy who'd turned his whole world upside down. He also then and there made a solemn promise to himself never to do to someone else what Marcus had done to him.

"We'll see," he said aloud.

"That's all I ask," Marcus replied. "Now if you all don't mind I wish you goodnight… oh and I still want your biology assignments on time, Monday. Patrolling for and dusting vampires is no excuse for late schoolwork."

With that last statement Marcus turned and walked out. The members of the Scooby Gang watched him go until he was beyond the double doors to the library, both Buffy and Xander continuing to hear the werewolf's footsteps as he walked away.

"Well that was interesting," Giles commented, "though I'm not sure I believe him, there was something that he wasn't telling us."

"I think that's pretty obvious G-Man. We're really going to have to keep an eye on him," Xander answered getting nods of agreement from Buffy and Willow.

"I agree," Giles said with a nod. "Now then we should work out your patrol pattern for tonight Buffy. I believe that Willow's searches on that infernal machine of hers has determined that a few fledglings are due to rise tonight."

"It's a computer, Giles not an infernal machine," Willow objected wondering why the Watcher had to be so technophobic. "And yes I have. From the coroners reports I've hacked two people buried earlier today in the main cemetery had wounds consisted with vampire bites and had blood in their mouths."

"Then we should head over there," Buffy agreed mentally preparing herself for a night of slaying the fang faces. Are you going to come, Xander?"

"Sure," Xander admitted, strangely he didn't feel tired anymore from the epic spirit plane battle with the wolf that had seen him become an Alpha. He could almost feel the full moons light giving him energy, calling to his very blood to come out and run under it. "Though can you promise me something, if I ah loose it…"

"I'll knock you out," Buffy confirmed.

"I can't come tonight," Willow said softly. "My parents are due back from a conference a little later this evening and they don't like it when I'm not there to greet them."

"Alright how about we walk you home first and then go do a pass through the graveyards to slay any vamps we encounter," Buffy suggested. Willow nodded in agreement.

"Alright but be careful all of you, you especially Xander," Giles cautioned. "I'll leave the front door off the latch for you when you come in. Remind me to get you a key cut tomorrow will you?"

"Thanks and I will," Xander replied, noting out of the corner of his eyes how Willow and Buffy both blinking at the revelation that he was still staying with Giles. Without waiting for the inevitable barrage of questions that was sure to come from the two girls he started walking out of the library, the Slayer and his best friend following quickly behind him.

They'd only gotten a few meters down the corridor when Buffy asked the inevitable question. "So you're still living with Giles, Xander?" she asked.

"Yeah I am Buff," Xander replied, "it's better than making myself sick from inhaling alcohol fumes and other much less pleasant things at home."

"Like," Buffy queried.

"You don't want to know, Buffy," Willow said having been to the Harris residence once or twice and knowing how much the place stunk and what it frequently stunk of. It was bad enough for a human nose she could only imagine how much worse it was for Xander now that his sense of smell had been massively heightened by his transformation into a werewolf.

"Oh," Buffy said in response frowning wondering why if the Harris's were that bad a drunks why social services hadn't stepped in and taken Xander away from them as while she might play the dumb blond act at times she wasn't stupid. She could tell living in such an environment was not good for anyone let alone a teenage boy. Weren't social services supposed to be there to protect people from such unsafe environments or were Sunnydale Social Services as inept as most of the other civil authorities in Sunnydale. It wouldn't surprise her if they were.

"Yeah so that's why I'm currently staying with, Giles," Xander said as they came to the front doors of the school. "At least for now, as long as I put in the occasional appearance at home my folks aren't going to be any the wiser."

As he finished speaking he pushed the doors opened and stepped out and immediately stumbled as the power of the full moon slammed into him full force. He could feel the part of him that was a wolf now react, could feel his heartbeat increase and feel the tingling starting in his hands and face as the change wanted to happen again. _Oh no you don't,_ he thought closing his eyes as he worked to push the near irresistible impulse to shift back down.

"Xander are you okay?" Buffy asked moving around in front of him, when he didn't answer she looked over at Willow who immediately nodded and ran back inside to get Giles.

Xander barely paid her any attention to either Buffy's question or Willow's departure as he worked to keep the impulse to shift from overwhelming him again. Try as he might it didn't seem to be working as he felt it wash over him, but do so in a way that was completely different to before as this time he didn't feel the wolf trying to overpower him and push his mind back. Instead a strange feeling of euphoria filled him and he suddenly wondered why he was resisting it, after a moment he decided to just stop and let the feeling sweep over him.

He barely noticed when he dropped down onto his hands and knees. He could feel himself changing, feel his bones and muscles breaking and rearranging before stopping in a new configuration, could feel fur coming out of his skin. Yet there was no pain just a feeling of pure freedom, pure pleasure. From a distance he heard the sounds of Willow and Buffy's voices and faintly heard the sound of his clothes tearing. Then the sensations slowed and stopped and he slowly opened his eyes, knowing somehow that they were glowing red…

…to find himself looking down a canine muzzle. In fact, his whole body felt canine and with a jolt of shock he realised he'd turned into an actual wolf. A shadow was over him and he looked up to see Buffy's shocked face looking down at him.

"X...X…Xander?" Buffy said her voice oddly shaking with shock and concern. "Can you hear me?"

Somehow knowing he couldn't talk in this form Xander merely nodded his head and felt his tail wag. Which was a really odd sensation for someone who'd never had a tail before in his life. Odd but also very right and natural. The sound of running feet behind him caught his attention and he turned, somehow instinctively just knowing how to move on four legs, just in time to see the doors of the school open and Giles, holding some kind of pistol in his hand, come running out with Willow. Both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw him.

"Xander is that you?"

* * *

 **Library**

 **A Few Moments Earlier**

Giles was just finishing brushing up the last of the mountain ash ring that he'd poured around the book cage when he heard the sound of running feet approaching the library. _Has one of the girls or Xander forgotten something,_ he thought looking up, just in time to see the doors open and a frantic looking Willow run in.

"Giles come quick something's wrong with Xander," Willow exclaimed the moment she saw him.

"What do you mean, Willow," Giles asked in concern. "What's wrong with him? Is he shifting again?"

"I think so," Willow replied, "the moment we stepped out into the moonlight he stumbled and didn't respond to Buffy when she asked if he was alright."

"Damn it," Giles cursed softly even as he mentally kicked himself. Xander might be a type one werewolf, might have gained control over the beast within him and in the process become a True Alpha but this was still his first full moon. He'd obviously been completely unprepared to stop himself transforming into a werewolf in the unfiltered light of the full moon as here in the library while still very bright there was some reduction of the moons effects due to the thick earthquake-proof walls and the double glazing of the skylight.

"Willow go in my office," he said, "next to the desk lamp you'll find a loaded tranquiliser pistol. Bring it to me."

Willow nodded and raced into the office, returning a second later with the air powered pistol. "Are you going to dart, Xander," she asked.

"If I have to," Giles replied as he accepted the pistol off her. "Come on."

Willow nodded and the two of them ran out of the library heading for the front entrance. In what seemed like seconds they were emerging into the bright moonlit night and skidding to a stop in shock at what they saw.

Instead of Xander standing next to Buffy, albeit with his features distorted and lupine, as they'd both expected they saw a wolf. A large black and brown furred but otherwise normal looking wolf. It was standing amid the torn remains of the clothing that Xander had been wearing, which clearly hadn't weathered his sudden transformation at all well. As they watched the wolf turned to face them revealing a normal wolf face with the notable exception of glowing red eyes.

"Xander is that you," Giles found himself asking. The wolf nodded and wagged its tail. Clearly Xander could understand them but probably wasn't able to talk to them in his wolf form.

"It was major freaky Giles," Buffy said. "When he changed he just, well, flowed into this form but he didn't seem to be in pain like before."

"Interesting," Giles replied, making yet another mental note to request more information on type one werewolves from the Council. None of the limited information on them he'd read indicated that they could turn into an actual wolf either voluntarily or – as in Xander's case – involuntarily on the full moon. "Do you think you can change back, Xander?" he asked.

"Of course he can," a new voice said from somewhere off to the right making everyone jump. They all turned to see a man whose clothes and top hat made him look like he'd just stepped out of seventies standing there. "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

"Who are you," Buffy demanded.

"My names Whistler," the man answered.

"I know that name," Giles said softly, "you're a balance demon, a messenger for the Powers That Be."

"Give the Watcher a medal. Yeah I am," Whistler replied seeing Buffy tense he put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Relax Slayer I'm not evil, believe it or not I'm actually on your side. Not all demons are bad after all."

"What do you want," Giles asked.

"Nothing much I was just coming to see what was going on. You see it wasn't your friend's destiny to become a werewolf, let alone the first True Alpha in over a hundred years. That particular destiny belonged to a young man in a town a few hundred miles from here, and a decade down the line, in a town called Beacon Hills. Xander was supposed to stay human, get possessed a few times yes but stay human. This change has really put the cat among the pigeons upstairs let me tell you."

"Is that bad," Willow asked.

"Oh no just unexpected and my bosses tend to hate it when fate decides to throw a curveball their way. But such is life even for higher beings like the Powers," Whistler answered. "But they'll adapt they always do."

"I see," Giles replied, "you said Xander can change back if he wants?"

"Yeah all he has to do is concentrate on turning back into human form. He'll be able to shift between human and full wolf or the hybrid form you've already seen at will," Whistler explained then looked at Xander. "Though mate a word of advice next time you shift into an actual wolf take your clothes off first as I wouldn't shift back now unless you want the cops to run you in for indecent exposure."

Xander whined slightly and looked down feeling more than a little embarrassed at the thought of being naked in front of his friends.

"Is that all you're here for," Giles asked the balance demon, noting Xander looking as embarrassed as a wolf could presumably at the thought of being naked in front of them.

"Well yeah. As I said I was only investigating what was going on here," Whistler replied. "But before I go can I give you a word of advice? Keep an eye on Marcus, the Powers are concerned by some of the plans he has."

"We were going to do that anyway," Giles replied.

"If he's up to no good we should just slay him," Buffy said.

"You can't not yet," Whistler replied, "Marcus is meant to do a few things before his end. You cannot kill him yet, not without completely throwing everything so far out of whack it isn't even funny. You'll know when the time comes to stop him. Just watch him for now."

Buffy scowled but nodded. "Alright," she said at last, inwardly cursing up a storm at being once again denied the right to slay Marcus Fredrickson as she'd been longing to do ever since he'd bitten her friend. Seemingly mollified by Buffy's agreement, albeit obviously reluctantly, not to harm the other werewolf for the time being Whistler nodded and then vanished.

"Cool," she whispered wishing she could do that, it would make sneaking up on the vamps and staking them so much easier. "Alright enough standing around we've got some vamps to go slay. Xander why don't you go with Giles."

Had he been capable of it in his current form Xander would have scowled unhappy at being denied a chance to kill some more of the things that had taken away Jesse, his brother in everything but blood. But he could see where Buffy was coming from and he could hardly wield a wooden stake as a wolf now could he, well not unless he wanted to risk getting a mouthful of splinters. So it was with great reluctance that he nodded in understanding.

"Okay come on Willow, I'll walk you home," Buffy said.

"Okay, Buffy. Goodnight Giles," Willow replied before stepping forward and actually stroking Xander's head. "Goodnight, Xander."

 _That felt strangely good,_ Xander thought as he felt Willow pet him before walking off into the night with Buffy. He almost wanted to chase after her to get her to do it again, before he mentally shook himself reminding himself that he wasn't a dog or a real wolf. He shouldn't really like being petted like one. With a sigh, that came out as a soft, non-aggressive growl, he looked back up at Giles his glowing eyes saying clearly 'now what.'

"Go back to the library, Xander," Giles told him. "I'll gather the remains of your clothes and join you. Then we'll head home."

Xander nodded, then look at the heavy wooden doors to the school and whined knowing he wouldn't have the leverage to open them in his current form. Giles couldn't help but shake his head before walking up to the door and pushing it open for the large black and brown wolf that was really Xander Harris to walk through. Xander looked gratefully back at Giles before walking through into the interior of the school.

After letting the door close Giles walked back to the pile of damaged clothing and started to gather it up all the while shaking his head ruefully. The things he did for his charge and her friends.

* * *

 **Authors Notes: Well here we are another chapter bites the proverbial dust. I know quite a few of you might be confused by how Xander has turned into an actual wolf when the ability to do that is quite rare in Teen Wolf canon. It's mostly due to the means by which he proved himself a True Alpha, the ability to become a real wolf – albeit with glowing eyes though with practice he'll be able to make his eyes look like the eyes of a normal wolf – is kind of a gift/reward from Lycan.**

 **I also know that people were kind of expecting a smack down with Marcus in this chapter but I ultimately decided against doing one in this chapter as I have a few plans for Marcus and what he's really doing in Sunnydale that would be undone by taking him out of the game so early.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Wolf's Dawn**_

 **Authors Notes: From this chapter on we'll be featuring some of the events of The Pack, which take place a few weeks after the events of the previous chapters. I am aware that I am skipping the episode Never Kill a Boy on a First Date but that's on purpose as some of the events that would have taken place during that episode – like Buffy dating Owen – didn't happen in this version of the Buffy timeline due to the whole Xander turning into a werewolf thing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement they all remain the properties of their respective creators and I make no profit from their use. So please continue to keep the legal attack dogs – also known as lawyers – firmly muzzled and on a leash.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

 **Sunnydale Zoo**

"Xander Harris where are you," Willow growled under her breath as she made her way through the zoo looking for where her best male friend had abruptly disappeared off to. She'd been hoping to see the zoo with him in the same way that they did every year, keeping one thing the same after all the changes that had taken place in their lives in the last couple of months from discovering the supernatural was real, the turning of Jesse into a vampire and his subsequent dusting during The Harvest, to Xander becoming a werewolf. Only that happened. Xander had practically disappeared the moment they'd gotten off the coach – disappearing into the crowds with the natural skill and athleticism of his lycanthropic kind – that had brought them all here to the zoo.

Hence she was now searching for him.

Rounding a corner, she spotted him, he was leaning against the safety railing looking down into one of the open air cages that was recessed into the ground. "Xander there you are," she said rapidly walking up to him.

"Hey Wills," Xander replied acknowledging her presence but not looking at her.

"Why'd you disappear on me," Willow demanded to know, "I thought we were going to go around this place together like we always do. And what are you looking at anyway?"

She glanced at the exhibit sign and somehow wasn't surprised to find that it was the timber wolf enclosure. A look into the pit-like cage brought her up short as she noticed what had to be the whole wolf pack sitting at the base of the wall. Even more surprising was the fact that they were all looking up at Xander. _Do they know,_ she thought wondering if the real wolves knew what Xander was and if that was the reason they were looking at him like that, like they wanted him to either join them or let them out? She gave Xander a surreptitious glance and saw, sure enough, a faint hint of Alpha red in his eyes.

"Okay what's with the staring contest," she asked.

"What! Oh nothing just me and him were acknowledging each other," Xander replied nodding at the large male wolf who had to be the pack Alpha. Which immediately seemed to react to being acknowledged by wagging his tail. "It's why I came here as soon as I got off the bus. I just knew I had to."

"Werewolf thing," Willow questioned.

"More like a general wolf thing but yeah," Xander confirmed turning away from the cage the faint red glow vanishing from his eyes leaving them looking like normal human eyes. "But I should have told you where I was going… sorry."

"It's okay," Willow replied looking down at the wolves. "You know you haven't told me what it's like? When you look like a wolf I mean."

"To be honest I haven't because it's quite hard to describe it in a way that you'd be able to understand," Xander admitted. At her questioning look he explained. "How do I explain what it's like to be able to see perfectly in the dark? To be able to hear a pin drop from ten feet away? How the wind rustling through fur feels? What it feels like to actually have a tail?"

 _I suppose that's understandable,_ she thought having not really thought about how different his senses were when he was a wolf. And did she hear enjoyment in his voice when he spoke about being able to literally turn into a wolf? "You like it though don't you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Xander admitted with a smile. "It's honestly kind of liberating to just be something else for a while. Though I still won't trust him even as far as I can throw him I can kind of see why Professor Fredrickson likes to shift into a wolf even when there isn't a full moon. There have been a few times when I've been tempted to shift like that myself."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "You've really adjusted to this haven't you," she said.

"Well I've kind of had to, Wills," Xander reminded her. "There's no known cure for lycanthropy, once you're a werewolf – of either type – your one for the rest of your life. Yeah it's taken me a bit of time to get used to the enhanced senses, though I'm used to them now and I have to admit the strength is awesome and really comes in useful."

"Would you go back to being human if you could?"

Xander sighed. "Probably not," he admitted, "though it would have been nice to have been asked first becoming a wolf is kind of the best thing that's ever happened to me. Things have certainly improved a lot for me since I was bitten."

Willow nodded in agreement, knowing the personal circumstances of Xander's life had changed a lot over the last few weeks. The most important being he was no longer living with his abusive, alcoholic parents but was instead now living with Giles. After talking it over with Giles she was well aware that Xander had chosen to file for emancipation from his parents on the grounds that living with not one but two drunken louts were far from the safest environment. The courts had agreed and he'd been awarded emancipation – the police and social services now investigating to see if any charges for historic child abuse and neglect could be levied against Anthony and Jessica Harris – before moving into Giles spare room.

Suddenly having a supportive home environment as well as the boost being an Alpha werewolf gave, had really done wonders for his self-confidence. The fact that he'd ditched wearing long sleeved shirts all the time was proof of that, instead wearing T-shirts more often - which now that she thought about it really showed off his solid, increasingly athletic build – and adopting a less garish wardrobe, apparently the Hawaiian shirts he'd worn before hurt his eyes now, were proof of that. Plus, she wasn't having to get on his case so much about studying, he seemed to finally be living up to the potential that had gotten him placed – almost without trying – in many of the same advanced placement classes she was in. Much to the delight of Principal Flutie and much of the rest of the High School faculty, well with the notable exception of Vice Principal Snyder who was his usual obnoxious, sour puss self who was trying – pointlessly – to convince everyone that Xander's improving scholastic performance was due to cheating.

And she had to admit his supernatural abilities were really helpful when patrolling with Buffy. He often heard or smelt vampires coming before Buffy did, allowing them to set ambushes that had to be giving the Master a fair few headaches, and his supernatural strength came in really useful in dusting the walking demonic leaches. _Though we're still not used to the fact that he sometimes shifts into that hybrid form mid-fight,_ she thought recalling how, usually after he took a hit or if a vamp hurt her or Buffy making him angry, Xander's werewolf features would show themselves. She immediately recalled the first time that had happened.

* * *

 _She cried out in surprise as the backhand from a vampire sent her crashing against the side of a mausoleum. The impact ripping the air from her lungs and sending her sprawling, badly winded. The vamp that had hit her – who from the look of him had been into bodybuilding back when he'd still been alive and human – approaching with a look of sadistic glee and hunger on its demonic features its intent to feed on her obvious._

" _Willow," Xander yelled appearing with an inhuman speed and agility between her and the vampire. "You will not have her."_

" _Oh but I will. Especially as my minions are keeping the Slayer occupied," the vampire sneered nodding over at Buffy who was engaged in a fierce fight with two other vampires – who like the first had to have been once either jocks or bodybuilders. "In fact I think I'll feed on you first as she watches."_

 _With that the vamp punched Xander hard, obviously intending to stun him for easier feeding. Only that was not the result he got as while Xander reeled slightly he immediately looked back to the vampire his eyes glowing blood red and even from here she could see his features shifting and changing. Morphing into human-wolf hybrid form that she and Buffy had seen them turn into on the full moon when he'd first shifted, pointed ears and fur and all._

" _That was a mistake," Xander growled back as his features finished changing, his voice now deeper as his transformation completed itself._

 _The muscle headed vampire visibly lost its confidence as it took a step back. "Y…y…you're a werewolf," the bloodsucker exclaimed shock, horror and terror in its voice._

" _Yes and your worst nightmare," Xander answered and despite being barely able to breathe she couldn't help but chuckle at the comic book reference, werewolf he maybe but Xander would always be a geek at heart. Then she saw Xander move thrusting a suddenly clawed hand forward with great speed and inhuman strength – the blow punching through the vamp's chest allowing him to grasp and rip out the demons unbeating heart._

 _The vampire barely had time to scream with pain before body and heart alike turned ash grey, allowing them to momentarily get a glimpse of the vamp's skeleton, before – with the now familiar eerie scream of a vanquished demon – exploding into dust. The sound being echoed a second later by one of the two vamps engaging Buffy as the Slayer's stake found his heart. The remaining vamp took one look at Buffy, then at Xander before trying to make a run for it. Trying being the operative word as it only got a few paces before Buffy tripped it over and drove a stake into its heart as well causing another eerie scream of demonic anguish to fill the night air._

 _Buffy turned back to them and blinked. "Xander," she asked sounding surprised to see Xander's wolf features, surprised and concerned. "Are you…"_

"… _I'm alright Buff," Xander replied shaking his head which seemed to make his features change again, rapidly morphing back into his normal human appearance. Then he turned to look fully at her offering a now non-clawed hand to her to help her up. "Are you okay, Willow?"_

* * *

"Willow! Earth calling Willow."

The sound of Xander's voice and the hand being waved in front of her face jolted her out of the flashback. "Sorry," she said looking down and blushing in embarrassment at having gotten so caught up in her memory of that first time seeing Xander shift outside of the full moon. They'd seen it a few times since and both her and Buffy were slowly starting to become more comfortable with seeing that distinctly non-human part of Xander.

"Are you okay you just seemed miles away then," Xander asked his concern clearly audible in his voice.

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "I was just got lost in my thoughts. Come on we should go and find, Buffy. I think she was over by the reptile house."

"Sure," Xander agreed as the two of them started walking.

They didn't get much chance to walk far as rounding a corner they came on the zebra enclosure, just in time to see the stallion mating with one of the mares. Willow made a sound that sounded suspiciously like _eep_ prompting Xander to glance over at her, to see the redhead looking down her cheeks as red as her hair. He couldn't help but shake his head in amusement, Willow was always so sensitive about things like this – she even looked away when such scenes appeared on nature documentaries.

He paid no attention to the rest of the zoo's guests in the vicinity of the zebra enclosure, many of whom had whipped out cameras to take pictures of what was going on, and instead scanned the crowd for any sign of Buffy. He quickly spotted her, with Kyle and his motley crew walking away from her. _Oh please don't tell me those pack of idiots decided to try something with her,_ he thought resisting, just, the impulse to growl in annoyance – he found himself doing that enough, growling that was, at night as it was – knowing it was just like Kyle, Heidi, Rhonda and Tor to take cheap pot shots at anyone they saw as beneath them. Only they were nowhere near as good at it, and seriously lacked the finesse, of Cordelia and some of her Cordettes – not all of them as Harmony and Gwen were, to put it mildly, thick and unlike Buffy really lived up to the dumb blond stereotype.

"There's, Buffy," he said to Willow getting her attention before heading over there with the redhead following close behind. "Buffy," he said as they approached.

"Hi guys," Buffy said smiling in greeting at her two friends.

"You just missed a show, two of the zebra were in the middle of mating," Xander told her.

"They really shouldn't allow that to happen in the open like this," Willow said speaking rapidly as she always did when nervous, upset or excited about something. "What if some kids see it? They could be traumatised for life? They could become serial killers because of the damage seeing that does to their young minds."

"Willow breathe," Xander said interrupting her mid-rant knowing she would talk herself into hyperventilating if he didn't. "It's not like they could do anything to stop the zebra doing what nature tells them to do, Wills. Animals don't know, understand or obey zoo timetables after all."

"Xander's right, Willow," Buffy added agreeing with him, before sighing as she gazed around at the zoo. This place, while impressive for a small town zoo, was such a dump compared to the zoo back an LA. Which she'd walked around so many times over the years that looking at animals in cages had long since lost its appeal to her.

"Is something wrong Buffy," Xander asked catching the look in her eyes and frowning wondering what was the matter with her. _Please don't tell me there's a demon somewhere in this zoo,_ he thought.

"It's nothing," Buffy lied.

"Buffy," Xander prompted clearly hearing her heart skip a beat, the tell-tale sign of a lie at least to a werewolf. Buffy winced knowing that Xander had caught her out, even before he'd gotten super hearing as part of the whole werewolf package he'd always had a knack for seeing through her deceptions like that. He'd only gotten better since, honestly it could be somewhat annoying sometimes. Though she didn't complain about the rest of it, it was cool seeing him physically rip a vamp's head off after all.

"It's just we did this zoo trip thing every year when I was at Hemery," Buffy explained, knowing she had to placate him or he'd keep onto her for the rest of the day. Which she had to admit could be quite flattering at times, annoying at others. "There's nothing new to any of this, it's all just the same."

"Okay I think you're looking at this all wrong, Buffy," Xander replied. "This isn't about a trip to the zoo. We've all done that too many times in the past to be really excited by it anymore. Instead think about this visit as a day when we can all be outside our classes and not get in any trouble for not being in school."

Buffy blinked, somehow she hadn't thought of it that way before. "You know your right," she said a genuine smile lighting up her face and – as always – making Xander feel like his insides had turned to mush. "Suddenly the zoo looks completely new."

"That's the spirit," he replied as he and Willow fell into step with her.

They were just starting to wander in the direction of the lion enclosure when Buffy spotted movement out the corner of her eyes, glancing in the direction she saw Kyle and his little trio of minion's force Lance into the hyena house – which had a quarantine sign up. "What are Kyle and his group doing with Lance," she wondered aloud.

"They're being obnoxious," Xander replied, "it's pretty usual for them."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"Oh nothing it's just Kyle and his crew are always doing stuff like that," Xander replied, "you get the same things in every school, desks, pens, boring teachers and a gaggle of mean, obnoxious kids. Kyle, Tor, Heidi and Rhonda are Sunnydale High's."

"Oh maybe I should go in and save Lance then," she said starting in the direction only for Xander to grab her arm.

"Nah," he said, "they're not vampires in need to slaying, so it's no job for you. Besides it looks like Owen is onto them," he nodded at the hyena house and Buffy followed his gaze.

To see the handsome jock, who unlike most jocks actually seemed to like studying and was always kind to everyone, known as Owen Thurman ducking under the tape blocking the entrance and disappearing in after them. She couldn't help but look a little wistfully after him as she'd been planning to sound him out as a potential boyfriend and been about to approach him about dating when Professor Fredrickson had bitten Xander. Which had naturally changed all her priorities to helping her best male friend adjust to becoming a werewolf.

"Still we should go make sure that Lance is alright," she said after a moment.

"I don't think we're going to get the chance," Willow broke in nodding at the hyena house as a zookeeper appeared seemingly from nowhere and hung around near the entrance. _Probably alerted by security cameras that someone has broken the quarantine and gone inside,_ she thought as she recalled that the main doors were the only way in or out of that part of the hyena house so it would make sense for the zookeeper to wait outside to ambush the miscreants as soon as they came out.

After a moment the doors opened and Lance came racing out as though the hounds of hell were after him, dodging around the zookeepers attempt to grab him and racing past the three of them, vanishing into the thronging crowds. "Huh what's all that about," Buffy wondered aloud, "maybe we should follow him and see if he's alright. He seemed frightened by something."

"He was terrified," Xander answered frowning.

"How do you know?" Willow asked before mentally kicking herself for forgetting about his enhanced sense of smell. "You could smell it couldn't you?" Xander merely nodded back.

"Do you think you follow Lance's scent, Xander," Buffy asked knowing Xander's sense of smell was even better than hers. Which according to Giles wasn't surprising as Slayer senses were more attuned to the mystical than a werewolves were.

"Not in this crowd, Buffy too many different scents and that's just from all the people," Xander replied. "Maybe I would be able to if I was more experienced at using my abilities for tracking but…"

"… in many ways this werewolf stuff is still as new to you as it is to us," Buffy finished for him before sighing. "Okay I suppose we should look for Lance the old fashioned way. Come on."

"Right behind you, Buff," Xander confirmed as he let Buffy's arm go allowing the Slayer to actually start moving, he and Willow following close behind as they began a search for Lance Lincoln. Had they stayed where they were much longer they would have seen the doors to the hyena house open again and the five other teenagers come back out before scanning the crowd searching for something or someone…

…with glowing green eyes.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Well another chapter bites the dust. This chapter is a bit shorter than I originally thought it was going to be when I started working on it, mostly because this chapter was to set things up for the events of The Pack. Events that obviously are going to be very different this time around since Xander hasn't been possessed by the hyena spirit instead Owen has been. How that's going to affect the events that follow, and the fate of Principal Flutie, you'll just have to wait and see.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Wolf's Dawn**_

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own these characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

 **The Bronze**

 **That Evening**

Dressed in jeans and a plane white t-shirt Xander slipped easily into the Bronze which was, as always, packed to the rafters with teenagers alternatively dancing on the dance floor, playing at the pool tables, sipping the completely non-alcoholic drinks the place exclusively served – many no doubt wishing the drinks would be alcoholic – and just genuinely hanging out. He was just grateful that he'd finally gotten a handle on the enhanced senses that came as part of the whole werewolf package; the first few times he'd come in here after being bitten he'd thought the loud music and the intermingling scents were going to drive him absolutely mad.

Looking around he spotted Willow and Buffy sitting at one of the tables talking and sipping glasses of coke. Smiling he made his way over slipping through the thronging teens with an effortless ease that was rapidly becoming completely second nature to him. As he approached he noticed out the corner of his eye Owen seemingly trying to talk to Cordelia and not getting anywhere really as it was clear from her expression that the inevitable had happened; Queen C had become bored with the jock and now just wanted him to leave her alone. Soon she was bound to unleash a blistering cloud of sarcasm that would leave the normally good natured jock feeling one-inch-tall and wanting to go hide in some deep dark hole somewhere.

A faint whiff of something out of the ordinary teased his nose, something that stood out from the normal multitude of individual scents that filled the Bronze. It was strange and nothing like he'd smelt before and he couldn't help but stop and glance around for the source, soon he determined that it appeared to be coming from Owen. Which prompted him to look a little more closely at Sunnydale Highs resident most un-jock like jock. There was something off with him, something that set alarm bells ringing in the back of his skull but what that something was he had no idea.

A dainty hand landing on his shoulder made him jump slightly and he glanced over. To see that Buffy had left the table she'd been at with Willow and come up to him. "You okay, Xander you seemed to be miles away then," Buffy asked.

"Yeah sorry Buff," Xander replied, "it's just something feels… off with Owen."

"How so," Buffy questioned reaching out with her Slayer senses in the direction of where Owen and Cordelia were. She didn't sense anything out of the ordinary though she did note Owen was wearing unusually dark clothing for him, almost like a vampire but he definitely wasn't a vamp. So what about him was bothering Xander.

"I don't know," Xander admitted, "it's just something feels wrong… I don't know how else to describe it only that something is wrong."

"I don't sense anything out the ordinary," Buffy commented which turned into a frown as she scanned the bar area. Sure enough she quickly spotted a vampire – wearing clothing that looked like it came straight out of the late eighties, honestly did vamps have no sense of fashion? – leaning against the bar and chatting up some poor girl he obviously intended to be his next meal, though from her bored expression his chat up lines needed work. _Oh no you don't there will be no feeding tonight for you or ever again,_ she thought as the Slayer in her took over. "Excuse me."

"Sure," Xander acknowledged having seen the vamp at the same time as Buffy had, forcing him to clamp down on the sudden impulse to go over there and literally tear the walking demonic leech limb-from-limb that came from the wolf part of him. Though he did have to admit, at least to himself, that being literally able to do that now was major cool and one of the biggest perks of being a werewolf.

He watched as Buffy walked away and joined the vampire at the bar and began talking. The vampire obviously couldn't believe his luck as Buffy effortlessly chatted him up. After a few moments the two disappeared, heading for the entrance and for the vampire a dusty death. Xander inwardly shook his head at the typical vampire stupidity – though he supposed they should be grateful that most fang faces tended to be somewhat on the thick side and even then they were dangerous, a smart vampire would be a serious headache should they ever encounter one – before heading over to join Willow.

"Hi Wills," he said in greeting.

"Hey Xander. Where's Buffy going?" Willow asked.

"Oh just to stake a vamp," Xander replied sitting down. "So what we talking about?"

"Nothing much just Buffy talking about Angel."

"Oh her Mr Mysterious and Mr Cryptic," Xander commented with a disdainful snort. He made no secret of the fact that he disliked Angel due to the whole mystery man routine and – if he was honest with himself – for getting in the way of him making any moves of the romantic sort on Buffy. Not to mention there was something just off about that guy, something he couldn't put his finger on- to use a handy phrase he'd picked up off Giles – but which immediately put him on his guard around habitually cryptic man. Not that he'd actually interacted with him only ever heard about him from Buffy.

 _Ugh oh someone's jealous,_ Willow thought feeling a little morose at that. She knew that Xander had romantic feelings for Buffy and that both now had a few things in common. Like the fact that they were both supernaturally strong – though Xander was easily the stronger of the two which from all her reading on the subject was pretty much the norm with type one werewolves though not with the more bestial type twos – and had enhanced senses. Unless something happened then she believed they'd inevitably end up together, which was depressing given she'd had a lifelong hope that one day her best male friend would first become her boyfriend and then, inevitably, her future husband. Which was one of the reasons why she hoped Buffy would get together with Angel, so she could make a move on Xander herself.

To distract herself she glanced around the floor. Just in time to see Cordelia slap Owen hard on the cheek prompting her to wince. _Poor Owen,_ she thought as Cordelia marched off angrily – the rest of the teens in the bar instinctively getting out of the way of the enraged undisputed social queen of Sunnydale High. Her compassion for Owen however turned to concern when she saw him not only glare angrily after Cordelia – which was totally understandable given the utter humiliation that a public slap by the harpy was – but do so in a very predatory fashion. And for a second she could have sworn she saw his eyes flash green, a moment before he started following her in a way that set alarm bells ringing inside her head.

"Something's seriously wrong here," she muttered unable to believe she was feeling concern for Cordelia of all people.

"What is it," Xander asked having easily heard what she said. _Damn his hearing,_ Willow thought with a mental sigh before she explained everything she'd seen. Which prompted a concerned frown to appear on her friend's handsome face. "That can't be right. I'm going to follow them, stay here till Buffy gets back."

"But Xander its Cordelia," Willow objected automatically unable to believe that Xander felt concern for the spoiled rich kid who, along with her little gaggle of sycophant friends, had done her best to make their scholastic lives hell. "You know the girl who's made out school careers a misery for years."

"Don't think I'm not aware of that but it doesn't matter," Xander replied firmly standing up. "Something's up and I'm going to make sure nothing bad happens to her, especially if what you thought you saw is right. When Buffy gets back tell her."

Willow scowled but reluctantly nodded in agreement, something in her friend's voice prompting her not to argue any farther as it would be futile as she knew from experience how stubborn Xander could be. Though now that she thought about it she'd never heard him sound quite so assertive before now, it was kind of sexy. Instead she watched as he stood up and disappeared into the crowd, moving fast, almost – but not quite – inhumanly so, as he followed where Cordelia and Owen had disappeared to.

* * *

Xander made it easily through the thronging teenage crowd that filled the Bronze and out onto the street. Once in the open air he inhaled deeply, looking for the unique scent of Cordelia to hopefully determine where she'd gone. He found it almost immediately and for the first time was grateful that he'd thought to memorise what she smelt like, though why he'd done it he really didn't know.

Without hesitation he started to follow the invisible airborne chemical trail, which led towards the car park on the opposite side of the road. He was immediately aware of the second scent trail following her and something in it set major alarm bells ringing in the back of his skull and also made the wolf part of him sit up and take serious notice. Which prompted him to pick up his pace, crossing the road rapidly and entering the packed car park…

… a moment before Cordelia's scream of fear and terror reached his ears. Which prompted him to start running faster towards where Cordelia's convertible was parked behind a couple of 4x 4's. Rounding the parked larger cars, he skidded to a stop as he saw Cordelia pushed hard against the bonnet of her car with Owen looming over her a sneer on his face and his eyes glowing a brilliant green. From his posture it was obvious that whatever he was he was intending to rape Cordelia, something that he knew he could not allow as while she might be a shallow, fashion-obsessed harpy Cordelia didn't deserve that – no one did.

Without hesitation he raced up and grabbed Owen from behind before effortlessly lifting the jock – who easily had twenty pounds more muscle on him than he did though that was hardly an issue now, werewolf strength and all that – off his feet and throwing him aside. "Get away from her," he said at the same time, while Owen yelped in pain and surprise as he bounced on the floor. The normally good-natured jock recovered quickly though and glared at him – eyes continuing to glow with that eerie green light, seriously what was up with that as he still smelt human but changed, no tainted somehow – before laughing in a hyena-like fashion and charging forward.

Xander easily evaded the charge and used it to his advantage. Throwing his arm out clothes-line fashion right in Owen's path. With the predictable response that he ran straight into it and was catapulted up and over, landing on his back on the floor with a truly brutal smack. "Get out of here," he said glancing across at Cordelia who nodded in agreement as she turned and began walking away as fast as her perfectly sculpted legs would carry her.

He didn't get a chance to enjoy the view as at that moment Owen got back to his feet and with an animalistic snarl charged at him again. He wasn't able to avoid him this time and suddenly found himself flying through the air as Owen landed an inhumanly strong punch on him. He wasn't air borne for long as he crashed into a van with enough force that stars exploded before his eyes, the force of impact also setting off the van's alarm which was really not fun to someone with supernatural hearing.

Shaking his head Xander glared at Owen, his vision taking on a slight reddish hint as he felt himself shifting into werewolf form. "That was a mistake," he said, his voice deeper than it normally was with the hint of angry werewolf growl present, as he stood up glowing red eyes meeting Owen's glowing green ones.

For a second they just glared at one another. Then Owen snarled and charged toward him again, Xander easily sidestepped the charge and as Owen shot past grabbed him and redirected his motion while adding a little bit of extra force so he crashed headlong into the lamppost. There was a loud clang and the metal pole visibly trembled like a leaf in a stiff breeze as Owen's momentum was transferred in its entirety into it.

Owen for his part staggered back and away from the pole, which now had a small but visible dent in it, wobbling on his feet as though he'd had a little too much to drink. But only for a few seconds before he recovered, whirled around and continue glaring though there was now a distinct look of fear in the glowing green orbs. Feeling a pressure building in his chest Xander gave in to the sudden impulse to open his mouth…

…and unleash a full force Alpha werewolf roar right in Owen's face.

Owen jumped a mile in the air at the sound of the roar, before covering his ears with his hands a look of combined fear and pain flashing across his face. A second before the green glow vanished from his eyes and he stumbled before dropping to his knees. His one hand dropped to his side while with the other he reached out a shaking hand towards Xander.

"H…h…help me," Owen said his voice shaking and straining as though he was fighting something. "It's I…I…in m…m…me." Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed onto the cold concrete ground, unconscious.

"Okay that's wiggy," Xander said his voice back to its normal timbre as he shook his head making his lupine features fade away.

"What's wiggy, Xander," Buffy abruptly said from behind him making him jump slightly and spin in place. To see that the Slayer had arrived and was now standing behind him. "And why'd you roar like that?"

Xander quickly explained everything that had happened to Buffy prompting a concerned frown to appear on her face. "Your right that is wiggy," Buffy agreed. "Alright here's what we'll do we'll take him to Giles. Maybe he can figure out what's going on here."

"Good idea," Xander agreed as he picked Owen up and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Why don't you go and get Willow, she'll want to know about this as well, while I start taking sleeping beauty here to Giles."

"Sounds good, we'll meet you there," Buffy answered before, after gaining a nod of agreement from Xander, turning and walking back towards the Bronze.

For his part Xander began carefully walking away, heading towards the townhouse he and Giles shared all the while making sure to keep to the shadows and backstreets – being sure to keep an eye and ear out for any vampires – as even the so often clueless at the best of times, and criminally negligent at the worst of times, Sunnydale PD would ask questions if they saw him carrying someone openly through the streets. Questions that he really didn't want to answer at this time.

Still despite the inconvenience it didn't take him long to reach the townhouse. Despite being a prosperous community on the main commuter route to Los Angeles Sunnydale really wasn't that big a town, especially when you knew which shortcuts to take. Awkwardly he fished in his pocket for the key that Giles had given him, then let himself – and the still out of it Owen – in.

"You're back early," Giles said as he came out of the kitchen holding a mug of tea then blinked when he saw Xander's passenger. "Xander why do you have Owen slung over your shoulder in a fireman's carry?"

"Because there is something wrong with him, Giles," Xander replied as he set Owen down on the sofa. "I'm not sure but I think he's been possessed by something."

Giles instantly gave him his full attention. "What makes you say that," he asked.

Xander quickly explained everything that had happened. From how Willow had spotted Owen following Cordelia in a predatory fashion, how he'd followed and end up engaging Owen to stop the normally good natured jock raping Queen C. How Owen's eyes had been glowing green, how he'd laughed in a very hyena-like fashion and how in the confrontation he'd displayed above human strength levels though nothing he hadn't been able to handle. Finally, he explained how he'd roared in Owen's face, which had apparently caused whatever spirit was inside him to retreat long enough for Owen to plead for his help before passing into unconsciousness.

At the end of his recital Giles was frowning. "That definitely sounds like a spirit possession of some type," he said after a moment, "the problem is there are many different types of spirits that can possess humans, though from what your describing it's probably a primal spirit possession of some kind. One of the early symptoms of such possessions is heightened base instincts."

"Is there any way we can be sure which type of possession it is," Xander asked, "and is there anything that we can do about it?"

"The former is easy there is a diagnostic spell that we can use. I have all the required items here to do the spell," Giles explained. "As to the latter I don't know for certain. It depends on the exact nature of the ritual this poor boy has become caught up in. Without knowing that I might not be able to find the correct counter-spell. Beyond that there is only one sure fire way of exorcising the possessing spirit and that's to change the host – in this case Owen."

"Change the host what do you mean, Giles?"

"Spirit possessions have an Achilles Heel in that the host has to be human," Giles replied, "if Owen were to stop being human, like if you bit him, then the possessing spirit would be forced out and have return to either the spirit world or its original vessel or it would be destroyed."

"Well let's call that Plan B shall we," Xander suggested inwardly frowning, while he could see where Giles was coming from he really didn't want to do to Owen what Professor Fredrickson had done to him and turn him into a werewolf without asking first. While part of him felt the need to have Beta's he didn't want to make any against their will. Not if he could help it anyway.

"Agreed," Giles answered with a nod. "Now watch Owen for me will you while I gather the spell components?"

"Alright I'll watch him."

Giles nodded back and hurriedly left the room to go to the storage cupboard where he kept some of his more sensitive magical tomes as well as various spell ingredients. Xander for his part moved to stand at the head of the sofa where he could easily keep an eye on Owen.

After a few moments Giles returned clutching a small silver pot, two small bags and a small spell book. He immediately started arranging the candles around the floor, forming a pentagram with the sofa – and the possessed Owen in the centre. Once that was completed he carefully lit all the candles and poured the contents of one bag into the silver pot. Before opening the other bag and taking out a steel knife engraved with a variety of mystical symbols.

"What's that," Xander asked.

"An athame," Giles answered, "it's a tool used to direct energy in various spells and rituals. Now hush I need to concentrate."

Xander nodded and watched as Giles sat, cross-legged, outside the ring of candles before gently reaching out and pricking the skin on Owen's arm drawing a small amount of blood onto the athame blade. Then with his other hand he lit the collection of herbs in the bowl on fire before beginning to speak in Latin.

"Quicquid latet demonstrabitur. In quibus est spiritus ego tibi praecipio, ut mihi revelaverit natura," Giles chanted before flicking the blood he'd collected into the bowl of herbs sending up a puff of coloured smoke. Smoke that instantly turned into a mass of swirling lights that shot over to Owen and seemed to disappear into his body. A moment later Owen jerked and the swirling lights – now glowing green – emerged from his body and hung in the air above it before shaping themselves into the form of a spotted hyena. For a second the lights remained then with a crack and a blast of cold, noxious smelling air that blew out all the candles vanished.

"Giles what was that," Xander asked.

"A primal hyena spirit," Giles said, "damn how did he get possessed by that?"

Xander frowned and thought back to the zoo and how Lance had run from the hyena house as if the Hound of the Baskervilles was after him. _Maybe he saw Owen and possibly Kyle and his posse get possessed,_ he thought, _it would explain why he was so terrified afterwards._ He quickly said as much to Giles.

"Possible," Giles admitted, "some African animals are known to house primal spirits. But these kind of spirits can't just possess someone whenever they feel like it. There have to be summoned out of their animal hosts by a spell. But there are any number of spells that can do that unless I know more about which one it was then…"

"…you can't counter it," Xander finished for him a moment before Owen groaned drawing both their attention. Both watcher and werewolf turned to look in time to see Owen opened his eyes, sit up and look around looking completely befuddled.

"W…where am I," Owen asked.

"At my home Mr Thurman," Giles explained, "Xander brought you here after disabling you."

Owen's eyes – currently looking normal – shot to Xander. "I remember you… you roared and made it retreat a bit," he said, "what are you? How'd you do that? And can you get this thing out of me before I… I hurt anyone else. I don't want to hurt anyone but…"

"The spirit inside you is too strong for you to fight off," Giles finished. "I believe I can exorcise the primal spirit from your body, Mr Thurman but I need to know a few things first. Tell me what do you remember about how this happened?"

Owen frowned. "I was in the hyena house. I'd gone in after I saw Kyle and his gang push Lance in there. I remember pushing Kyle away from Lance and hearing a growl then… then…" his voice trailed off and he stiffened as he felt the thing, the invader, surging back forth from where it had retreated into the back of his mind. He tried to resist, tried to fight it back, but it was too strong and he could feel himself slipping away again.

"No….no…please," he begged until abruptly an inhumanly strong pair of hands landed on his shoulders. He looked up to see that Xander had crossed the room and was now holding him down… but what really got his attention were his eyes. The irises were glowing blood red and at the sight of them he felt the hyena stop and pull back again, he could feel it practically shivering in fear. "What are you? Why is it so afraid of you?"

"That's not important right now," Xander told him. "As for why the hyena spirit is scared of me it knows I can drive it out of you, which would according to G-Man here destroy it."

"Get it out of me, please. I can't live like this," he begged.

"Owen you don't know what you're asking," Xander said softly. "The only way for me to drive the spirit out of you, would be to bite you. Over a couple of hours, you'd change, you'd cease to be human. Instead you'd become a werewolf… like me."

"Would I still be me?" Owen asked.

"Yes but you wouldn't ever really be human again. Once you're a werewolf your one for the rest of your life, especially the type of werewolf I am and the type that you'd become if I bit you."

"But I wouldn't be possessed anymore."

"No you wouldn't be," Giles explained.

"Would I turn into a monster on the full moon like in the movies?"

"The full moon is hard but you can learn to keep control over the impulses that come from the wolf inside," Xander answered, "as for becoming a monster well you'd look like this." As he spoke he willed himself into the hybrid wolf form. Owen's eyes widened as before his eyes Xander's' features changed, with his brow ridge becoming larger and more pronounced, his eyebrows becoming thick and bushy and bushy fur abruptly appearing along his cheek bones and jaw. Coupled with his ears becoming long and pointed it gave his features a distinct lupine look one that he now remembered seeing when the hyena had attempted physical confrontation with Xander.

"I can also turn fully into a wolf if I want to," Xander said his voice deeper and having a hint of a growl to it. As he spoke Owen clearly saw the flash of distinctly lupine canine teeth in his mouth. "But you wouldn't be able to do that only Alpha werewolves – like me – can do that."

"I do have to stress though that Xander biting you – while it would be the most immediate answer – is not the only solution to your predicament," Giles said feeling compelled to inform Owen of the options before him, while out the corner of his eye seeing Xander's features shift back too human normal. "It would require some research and a visit to the zoo where this event happened first though. Once I know the precise details of how the spell that caused you to become possessed by the primal spirit works I will be able to use a counter-spell to get it out of you and anyone else whose been possessed in the way you have been."

"And how long would that take?" Owen asked.

"I can't say at the moment as it would depend on the spell in question. Some possession counter-spells do require a lengthy period of preparation others a simple incantation. Without more information on the spell responsible for all this it's impossible to know."

Owen looked down. "I can't wait that long. If there is a way to quickly get this _thing_ out of me then regardless of the cost I have to take it," he said before looking up resolutely at Xander and feeling the hyena quivering fearfully at the back of his mind but not attempting to take over again – having been thoroughly intimidated by the werewolf. "Do it. Bite me."

"Owen are you sure," Xander asked one last time. "As I've already said once your bitten there is no going back."

"I'm sure do it."

"As you wish," Xander replied again voluntarily shifting into his beta form. "Roll up your sleeve and hold out your arm."

Owen did as he was instructed and held out his arm which Xander gently grabbed in his now clawed hands, even as he squatted down to Owen's eye level. He gave Owen a look, allowing him one last chance to say no only to get a 'do it' look back. As a result, he gently brought Owen's arm to his mouth and took the plunge biting down hard…

…and Owen screamed.

Pulling back Xander watched as Owen instinctive pulled back and cradled his wounded, bleeding arm. Then the possessed jock's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed back onto the sofa before beginning to twist and convulse almost like he was having a major epileptic fit. Something that continued for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a minute or two at the most, then a green mist emerged from Owen's mouth and nose. A mist that collected in the air above Owen's body before shaping itself into the form of an African spotted hyena… which immediately gave an eerie, blood chilling scream before seemingly collapsing in upon itself folding tighter and tighter until it was nothing more than a single orb of malevolent green light, which immediately winked out with an almost gunshot like crack of noise. The noise being so loud that neither Xander or Giles heard the sound of the back door opening.

Owen's body relaxed on the sofa, the jocks head rolling sideways towards them. He opened his eyes, which were glowing the same molten gold that Xander's had after he was first bitten albeit faintly as the other teen was still transitioning, and smiled faintly. "Thank you," he said weakly before his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

"So," Giles said after a few moments of silence. "Any idea how we explain this to Buffy?"

"Explain what to me, Giles," Buffy abruptly asked from behind making both watcher and werewolf alike jump before spinning around. To see the Slayer standing behind them with Willow standing a few paces behind her, both girls having quizzical looks on their faces. "And were my eyes just deceiving me or did Owen's eyes just glow werewolf gold?"

Xander and Giles exchanged a look. Then Xander sighed, cleared his throat with a soft cough and started on what was going to be a very long explanation.

"Well you see, Buff it's like this…"

* * *

 **Authors Note: Well another chapter bites the metaphorical dust. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter out but I have been going through something of a writing dry spell over recent weeks in which nothing I wrote was working – happens to us all from time to time. If anyone is curious about the translation of the spell Giles used its 'let what is hidden be shown. Possessing spirit, I command thee reveal your nature to me.'**

 **Once again I apologise for the long delay with this chapter, hopefully the next chapter won't be quite so long in coming out.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Wolf's Dawn**_

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own these characters, well aside from the character of Marcus.**

 **Author Note: Sorry about the delay with this update, I really didn't mean to let it get away from me like this but my Star Wars muse has been monopolising my attention recently plus I was kind of stuck in story telling terms over where to go with the next chapter. Also, it's been hard to get the Buffy muse back since Netflix here in the UK removed the series from their network. Not that I can get on Netflix at the moment due to my home internet being down.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

 **Sunnydale High School**

 **Next Morning**

Xander sighed softly as he opened his locker and began taking out the books he needed for his first lesson of the day, which today was chemistry. A subject that he would have once looked forward to but now made him want to sneeze all the time. The smell of the various chemicals that were used in various experiments tended to make his supernaturally enhanced nose itch it, along with the times when he had to go into the boys changing room for physical education as unlike at the gym where he'd recently began working – one of the major conditions of his emancipation was that he get a job to support himself – the school cleaners never cleaned it properly using only cheap cleaning chemicals that never truly erased the smell of stale sweat, was one of the few instances when he found himself disliking being a werewolf.

Another sigh escaped his lips as his thoughts turned to what had happened last night. He now had a beta, at the back of his mind he could feel the bond that now existed between himself and Owen, to both train in the ways of being a wolf – even though he was in many ways still learning them himself having only been a werewolf, let alone an alpha, for nearly two months – and protect. A prospect that quite frankly somewhat terrified him though he had no intention of shrinking from his duties as an alpha. Not that he'd really had a choice but to bite Owen as both himself and Giles had tried repeatedly to dissuade the at the time possessed teenager from the choice before him.

And thinking of possessed teenagers he found his thoughts turning to Kyle and his little posse, all of whom they knew from Owen to also be possessed by the rest of the hyena spirits from the clan in the isolation section of Sunnydale Zoo. Dealing with them was going to be tricky as he had no intention of biting any of them and turning them into werewolves as well. Kyle and his little group were trouble enough as humans they didn't need the superhuman abilities of a werewolf as well as he knew that they wouldn't hesitate to misuse it.

The fact that they were dealing with primal hyena spirits was what made it tricky. Apparently exorcising them from their human hosts was harder than it was with most other spirits. He was aware that Giles was on the phone right now talking to the Watchers Council, seeking if they knew of any way to exorcising the spirits without knowing the exact ritual that summoned them in the first place. In the meantime, Buffy, who had first class with the four of them today, was keeping an eye on them.

He finished retrieving his books and closed the locker…

…only to jump as he found Cordelia Chase standing there, arms folded, gazing at him with her best intimidating 'I want answers' look. _Oh, crap what have I done now,_ he thought with a mental sigh even as he felt the wolf in him sit up and take notice. Instinctively realising and acknowledging that he was in the presence of another alpha, albeit one who was human and thus might make a worthy mate.

"What is it Cordelia," he asked.

"I'm going to ask this one time dweeb," Cordelia answered firmly, "what the hell was that last night?"

"What was what Cordie," he replied hoping against hope that Sunnydale Syndrome would prevent Cordelia remembering exactly what had happened last night. How the possessed Owen had been about to rape her only for him to grab the teenager from behind and throw him away.

"Don't give me that," Cordelia snapped. "What the hell was that when you threw Owen away from me like he weighed nothing even though he has twenty pounds on you? What was with your eyes? And what was with him?" At the befuddled look, he shot her Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Your eyes were glowing red you moron. And why was Owen's glowing green and why was he laughing like some demented hyena?"

"Oh that."

"Yes, that now spill," Cordelia demanded.

 _Shit going to have to watch that,_ he thought with an inward wince. He was really going to have to practice keeping all aspects of the wolf side of him hidden even in instances where he showed that appearances aside he technically wasn't a human anymore. Oh, he'd gotten good at keeping the fangs and claws hidden, most of the time anyway unless he was fighting a vamp or demon most of which seemed to freak out big time when they realised what he was, but the glowing eyes thing was a bit harder to keep hidden as they tended to respond more to his emotions. Along with the growling. For a moment, he considered not answering Queen C and hope she forgot about it. But Cordelia forgetting about something like this now was as likely as every vampire in Sunnydale suddenly deciding to turn vegetarian. If he told her nothing she'd keep pressing for answers as tenacious was a word invented with Cordelia Chase in mind. Thus, he didn't really have a choice now did he. He glanced up at a nearby clock, they had ten minutes before lessons started.

"Alright but not here," he said at last. "Come on."

Cordelia scowled but nodded, agreeing that this was not a conversation that she wanted to have in the middle of the corridor even though most of the student body automatically tuned out anything to do with the supernatural, and followed Xander as he led her away. Covertly she looked him over as she followed him, noting that not only did he walk with a self-confidence she'd never seen from him before but that one Alexander Harris was actually quite the hunk with an athletic build that any of the school jocks would have been proud of. Something that had become increasingly obvious in the last two months as he'd ditched wearing the baggy clothes he'd worn before and now wore far more fashionable – if somewhat cheaper brand than anything she would ever be seen dead wearing – clothes like the white shirt – which she idly noted hugged just tight enough to his torso to be suggestive of the toned muscles underneath – and light blue stonewash jeans that he was wearing today. Somewhat to her own surprise she was starting to find him attractive.

She shook off those thoughts as Xander led her into a classroom that was due to be free for the next hour or so. Somewhat to her surprise he led them back to somewhere where they would not be easily seen through the doors glass panel.

"Alright dweeb were here what's going on?" Cordelia demanded. "What the hell are you as you can't be human. Human eyes don't glow red."

"Your right I'm not," Xander admitted turning to look at her. "At least I'm not anymore I haven't been for nearly two months. I'm not really sure how to sugar-coat this so I'm not going to bother but before I tell you, you have to promise me something Cordelia."

"Which is?"

"Not to tell anyone else," Xander replied. "Only a handful of people know and I would rather it be kept that way. No telling any of your Cordette's not even Aura. Deal?"

"Deal," Cordelia answered. "Now what is it? What are you Xander?"

"Me well I'm a werewolf," Xander admitted as he made his eyes glow red for a moment in emphasis.

Cordelia blinked. Had he said what she thought he said? "You're a what?" she asked seeking clarification.

"A werewolf or lycanthrope if you want the proper term."

"What so you turn into a giant wolf every full moon now?" Cordelia asked shocked. "When did that happen? I've seen you out on the full moon before and you've always looked your normal dorky self."

"Well I can literally turn into a wolf if I want to but no I don't have to transform on a full moon – I'm not the type of werewolf who has no choice but to transform into a giant slavering beast on a full moon – not unless I want to. And even when I do transform I'm in full control of myself."

Cordelia looked at him interested as this was something she had so not seen coming. "Can you show me?" she asked.

"Show you?" Xander asked with a puzzled frown. Which was answered with one of Cordelia's signature exasperated eye rolls.

"Turn into a wolf you dummy."

"Well I can't go full wolf here it would make one hell of a mess of my clothes unless I stripped first," Xander answered. _And if you think I'm going to do that and give you a free show Cordy you've got another thing coming,_ he thought as he could tell she was finding him attractive now. He could literally smell it. "But I can show you this."

Cordelia's eyes widened when before her eyes Xander's face changed. His brow ridge becoming more pronounced, eyebrows suddenly becoming thick and bushy, nose broadening and thick black sideburns appearing down his cheeks. Simultaneously his ears lengthened and became pointed. He held up a hand and she saw that his short fingernails had suddenly becoming inch-long claws that looked sharp.

"Whoa," she breathed almost unconsciously she reached out a hand and touched his cheek, feeling that the bushy sideburns were surprisingly soft fur no different in texture and feel to the glossy coat of her aunt's pet Labrador. "Is this how you were able to throw, Owen?" she asked looking into his glowing red eyes, something that she quietly admitted to herself was seriously cool.

"Yes, I'm much stronger than any human," Xander answered his voice strangely deep and almost growled. In his mouth, she could see that he had very wolf-like fangs and that his normal teeth looked sharper, much sharper. She knew she should be frightened being this close to him, as something told her those teeth and the razor-sharp claws on his hands could render her flesh asunder with ease, yet for some reason she wasn't. If anything, she found the exotic lupine features making him even more attractive to her. She watched in fascination as his features shifted back into their normal appearance, the red glow in his eyes also fading back to the normal warm brown. Despite herself she was surprised that there was suddenly no outward sign that Xander Harris wasn't human.

"Is Owen a werewolf as well," she asked getting back on topic, she would have time to muse on the fact that she was starting to find Xander attractive later. "Is that why his eyes were glowing like that last night? And why he wanted to… well you know."

"Yes and no."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that yes Owen is a werewolf… now that is as I ended up biting him last night," Xander replied "but it is not the reason he attacked you. He was possessed."

"Possessed! By what?"

"By a primal hyena spirit. It took over control of his body, that's why he tried to do what he did."

"How the hell did that happen?"

Before Xander could think of how to reply the sound of a commotion out in the hallway caught both their attention. _Now what,_ Xander thought as he heard his fellow students yelping and scampering about, though from the sound of things they were more surprised than afraid by whatever was going on. Underlining it all he clearly heard a piglet squealing and the scamper of its little feet as it ran from whatever had frightened it.

"Sounds like Herbert got out," he said to Cordelia as they both moved to the door and back out into the corridor to see what was going on. They got back out into the corridor in time to see Buffy stop and pick up the frightened piglet – that was wearing a set of foam razor blades on his back – that would be the football team's mascot for the next few months. At least till he grew too big at which point school authorities would sell him to the nearest farm. A moment later a breathless Principal Flutie appeared.

"Oh, there you are Herbert, you gave old Flutie a right scare didn't you," the extremely kind natured and affable principal of Sunnydale High said looking sternly at the piglet before looking up and gesturing to the crowd of surprised students. "Students I'd like you all to meet Herbert. The football team's newest mascot."

Flutie smiled as a murmuring of 'hello Herbert's' came from the assembled students. He loved instances like this, instances where he could interact with his students in a spontaneous fashion. Unlike his deputy who seemed to despise absolutely anything and everything to do with the student's hell Snyder didn't even get on with anyone else among the faculty. He would love to get rid of the troll-like man – hell for all he knew Snyder was part-Troll as he wasn't totally ignorant of the fact that Sunnydale wasn't like any other town in the country and that supernatural things happened here – but unfortunately Snyder had some powerful friends in the administration of Mayor Wilkins. Unless he did something totally out of line – which Snyder was careful not to do, though he'd come close on numerous occasions – he had no choice but to put up with the man and his extremely unhelpful attitude. He just hoped nothing ever happened to him as he dreaded to think what would happen if Snyder were ever to ascend to the rank of principal. Certainly, student moral would go through the floor.

He mentally shook off those thoughts. "Well now you've all met Herbert who's a right little escape artist isn't you," Flutie said earning an oink from the piglet as if he was saying yes. Which caused an explosion of laughter to ripple through the student body. Flutie smiled again at the reaction before looking at Buffy still patiently holding the piglet, seemingly without effort. "Okay moment of levity over everyone, time for you all to get to class. Except you Ms Summers you can help me put Herbert back in his gage before heading off to your lesson."

Buffy nodded back in agreement and Flutie began leading the way towards where Herbert's cage was. Abruptly the piglet began squealing again and wriggling in her grip, trying to escape, though she had no problems holding the squirming, squealing mass of pink flesh. Looking around to see what was disturbing the piglet she saw Kyle and his little gang eyeing the piglet hungrily, as she watched their eyes momentarily flickered green as they tracked the piglet's movements. _Oh great_ , she thought as the four-remaining primal possessed teens disappeared in the crowds thronging through the corridors. No doubt in their current state the teens thought of the piglet as prey and the piglet could sense that. She hoped that Giles came up with something to dispossess the four soon as she very much doubted that Xander would like to have to bite all of them in the way he'd bitten Owen to get the possessing spirit out of the normally good-natured jock's body.

Mentally she sighed. She still wasn't sure how she felt about Xander biting Owen in the way he had, oh it had gotten the hyena spirit out of his body but in the process, had turned the other teen into a werewolf as well. On one hand, she'd known that as an alpha werewolf Xander would eventually want and need to have betas from which to form a proper pack, and that the easiest way to get a beta was for him to bite and turn someone. But on the other hand, she hadn't really been prepared for him to do it so soon, though at least Owen had been willing and both Xander and Giles had tried repeatedly to change his mind. Much as she'd known it was inevitable and she couldn't blame Xander for it – she fully understood that the need for a pack was as much a part of him now as his supernatural strength and ability to turn into a wolf was – it wasn't something she'd really wanted to have to face. Nor had Willow in fact as she knew the redhead was herself having difficulty with the fact that Xander had turned someone.

Making a mental note to talk about it with both Xander and Willow later she turned her full attention back to the art of navigating the bustling corridors of the high school as everyone hurried to their first classes of the day.

* * *

 **Sunnydale High Library**

 **Sometime Later**

Buffy made her way into the library after the end of lessons. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to find that Xander was already there as after gym class he'd had a free period unlike her as she'd had to go to history and would have likely chosen to come hang out in the library. What did surprise her somewhat, though really it shouldn't have, was that Owen was there as well talking quietly to Xander as they sat at one of the rooms sturdy tables. She could hear them speaking about control methods, Xander telling his new beta more about controlling their enhanced senses and superhuman strength.

"Hey," she said in greeting as she slid into a seat. "No sign of Willow yet?"

"Nope she stayed back at the end of computer class Ms Calendar wanted to talk to her about something," Owen replied, reminding Buffy belatedly that his last lesson of the day had been the advanced computer class. The new were examined the petite blond girl interestedly, he was still having difficulty believing that she was some mystical warrior called the Slayer and was thus almost as strong as he was now.

"Oh," Buffy answered as Giles came out of his office looking quite pleased with himself. "Giles, you look like the cat who finally managed to eat the tweety bird. What's got you so happy?"

"I'm happy Buffy because the Council has managed to come through for us," Giles replied, "after checking through their records they've found a ritual that will exorcise the possessing spirits out of Kyle and his friends and cast them back into the spirit world. They're faxing me the details of the ritual and what items we will need to perform it now. Hopefully we'll have everything we need if not then a trip to the local magic shop will be required."

"There's a magic shop in Sunnydale?" Buffy asked surprised.

"Indeed, there is," Giles replied. "I have been there a few times to replenish spell components as sadly some of them only have a very limited shelf life."

"Do you deal with magic a lot Mr Giles?" Owen asked curious feeling this was something he should know about given he was a werewolf now. Which was honestly going to take quite a bit of getting used to, thankfully he had Xander to help him there, though he'd already decided it was incredibly cool. Well outside of gym class as he'd never realised how much the boys changing room stunk of stale sweat until earlier today. It had been all he could do not to gag.

"No thankfully," Giles answered. "The Hellmouth seems to repel the more magic orientated demonic races not to mention warlocks and dark witches. In the last few months we've only had to deal with magic twice, once a few months ago with Ms Madison's mother and now with this unfortunate primal possession business. It's just as well as the Slayer line is not really meant for magical combat, that's the domain of light side witches and the druids."

Buffy bristled slightly, her pride more than a little stung, by Giles saying that she – The Slayer - wasn't really meant to challenge those demons and evil humans who used magic. Still part of her, the part that remembered the battle with Catherine Madison and how it was only at the last minute that she'd managed to use a mirror to reflect her last spell, had to acknowledge that the Watcher was right. She ignored that part and started to open her mouth to protest.

However, before she could speak the library doors burst open and Willow came in. A Willow who was both upset and worried, which instantly drew everyone's attention. "Willow what's the matter?" Buffy asked concerned her irritation of moments earlier instantly forgotten.

"Someone ate Herbert," Willow replied sobbing. "Oh, Buffy it's awful, I walked past after leaving Ms Calendar and the cage is ripped to shreds and there's blood everywhere. Who would do such a thing?"

"It's Kyle and the rest of his gang," Buffy said scowling. "They were looking hungrily at Herbert earlier."

"Then their possession has gotten a lot worse than I feared," Giles said worriedly. "The hyena spirits are starting to completely suppress the human personalities. You need to find them, Buffy. You need to find them and take them to my home. I'll go there now and start preparing the ritual that will exorcise the spirits from them."

"I'll find them," Buffy confirmed. "Do you have any idea where they'd go?"

"Like most carnivores on the African planes hyena's like to take a siesta after feeding," Giles answered, "they'll go somewhere where they can rest and relax while they digest their meal. Somewhere they're not liable to be disturbed."

"So, they won't stay on campus then," Buffy said with a frown knowing that the campus grounds would be thronging with activity now as many of the students and faculty started heading home. "The nearest entrance to one of the largest parks in Sunnydale is only a block away if they go there then finding them will be difficult."

"Not if I go with you I could track them," Xander pointed out tapping the side of his nose reminding Buffy that his sense of smell was a great deal better than hers. Buffy couldn't help but grin back as she realised that finding Kyle and his little gaggle of possessed friends would be a great deal easier with Xander along. _And his raw physical strength should make defeating them and bringing them back to Giles place easier,_ she thought.

"Alright," she agreed after a moment. "But Xander no biting okay?"

Xander resisted, just, the impulse to roll his eyes in annoyance. Did Buffy think that he was so desperate for more beta's that he'd bite Kyle and company? He made a mental note to talk to her a bit about that later. "Alright Buff no biting," he agreed as he stood up.

"Do you want me to come," Owen asked.

Buffy considered for a moment. _Another super strong pair of arms would be useful,_ she thought. But at the same time, she understood Owen likely didn't have any real control over the wolf in him now, having only been a werewolf for not even a day yet. If it came to a fight – which was almost certain – he could easily lose control and kill one of the possessed teens. She didn't want him to have that on his conscience.

"No," she said at last. "Your still new to the werewolf thing and I don't want to risk you losing control if it comes to a fight. Stay here with Giles."

"I could meet you outside the park in my car?" Owen suggested understanding why the Slayer didn't want him along in the actual confrontation with Kyle and the others. "It would make taking them to Mr Giles place easier and less suspicious."

"Good idea," Xander agreed knowing that it would not be a good idea to manhandle four unconscious teenagers through the streets of Sunnydale at least in daylight. Even Sunnydale PD wouldn't fail to find that extremely suspicious. And being detained for questioning was the very last thing he wanted, especially as he had to go to work in two hours. "Wait for us outside the park entrance."

"No problem," Owen answered as he too got to his feet.

"Let's get going," Buffy said before turning and leaving the room, Xander followed closely behind her. The two of them sliding through the crowds of homeward bound students filling the halls with an easy grace that only people who were supernaturally gifted were truly capable of.

In a few minutes, they were both leaving the campus and made their way up the street and into the park where they stopped long enough for Buffy to turn to Xander. "Alright Xander do your thing," she said only to see that Xander was already strongly sniffing at the air. After a moment of searching, and sorting out the different scents, he looked at her.

"I've got them this way," he said as he started walking quickly, periodically sniffing the air to maintain his lock on the scents of Kyle and his little posse of friends. Buffy hurried to follow him.

She continued following him for a few moments before he abruptly stopped, looked around and growled in a very wolfish fashion. He stopped so quick that she collided with the back of him. "Hey why'd you stop," she complained as she bounced back but caught her balance before she could fall. Xander looked at her and her annoyance vanished when she saw his eyes glowing red. "What is it?"

"Marcus is here," Xander replied as he reigned in his emotions at the thought of Marcus Fredrickson being here. It was bad enough having to deal with the other alpha werewolf in school and he could only put up with that because he had no choice due to the man was the biology teacher, "he's following them himself."

Buffy frowned. "Oh, that's not good," she said knowing that Marcus wouldn't likely have any qualms about biting Kyle and his friends against their will. Just like he'd bitten and turned Xander against his will, she still refused to believe his story about biting her friend being an accident. Somehow it just wrung hollow with her and she was sure that none of the rest of the gang believed it either.

"No, it's not. Come on," Xander agreed before starting to move again though this time he was running flat out forcing Buffy to do the same to keep up with him.

In no time at all Xander led them off the main path through the park and into a part of the park that was densely wooded and riddled with trails that were very popular with the morning joggers. It was onto one of those trails that Xander led them. A trail that went up a small, but quite steep, hill culminating in a clearing that served as a woodland picnic area with a single cedar tree in the middle of the clearing standing like a solitary sentinel of the woods surrounded by rings of picnic tables and a few public barbeques. _Whoa I didn't know this was here,_ Buffy thought making a mental note to tell her mother about it as it looked like a good place to spend a hot summers afternoon.

What she saw next though made all thoughts of that fly out of her mind. Lying around the base of the tree were Kyle and his friends. Kyle, Heidi and Rhonda already showed that they'd been bitten, having deep wounds on their shoulders. Nearby she saw a large black wolf just sinking its teeth into Tor's shoulder making the blond spiky haired teen scream in pain before he started convulsing. The wolf – which they both realised was Marcus – pulled back as a green mist abruptly emerged from Tor's nose and mouth. Rose up into the air and formed into the shape of a hyena which screamed eerily before folding in upon itself becoming a point of emerald light that immediately winked out with a gunshot like crack of sound.

As Tor went limb the Marcus seemed to notice them. If a wolf could smirk the black-furred wolf would have before its glowing red eyes shot Xander a 'too late' look. Then it turned and bounded away into the woods. Buffy started forward to pursue, intent on beating the alpha to a pulp for his actions, only for Xander's hand to shoot out and grab her arm.

"No, it's what he wants," he said. "You follow him and you give him all the opportunity he needs to ambush and kill you."

Knowing that he was right Buffy reigned in the Slayer before frowning at the tall werewolf standing next to her. "So now what do we do," she asked.

"What we were originally going to do. Take Kyle and his friends to Giles. We'll have to tell him what Marcus has done."

"And then what?"

"Buffy I have no idea."

* * *

 **Authors Notes: Well another chapter bites the dust. I hope you all like the changes I've made to the events of The Pack and the fact that Flutie is still alive and still principal of Sunnydale High. Which might frustrate a certain mayor/warlock who in canon used Snyder to keep a very close eye on what Buffy and co were up to especially after Buffy lived much longer than the norm for a vampire slayer and thus became a threat to his ascension plans.**

 **With Marcus the plot thickens as there is a reason why he chose to bite Kyle and the others as he needs a specific number of beta's for something he is planning, the thing that really brought him to Sunnydale. The fact that they were already possessed made turning them much easier though anyone bitten by a werewolf on the Hellmouth will turn because its such a supernaturally charged environment. The only ones who won't turn are people who are already supernatural like Buffy or Willow – who won't turn because she's a witch though she doesn't know that yet.**


End file.
